The Stackhouse File
by Morggy
Summary: [All Human/AU] - Sookie is a 20-something young woman struggling with her bills and with life in the provincial town of Bon Temps. But it seems she has piqued the interest of someone from out-of-town who has eyes and ears on her at all times – they might have to make a move soon, because she's starting to suspect something is off.
1. Chapter 1

_All recognizable characters and settings belong to Charlaine Harris and HBO. No Copyright infringement intended._

All Human. AU. Sorry I forgot to put this when I first posted it.

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1.

July 26, 2013

The six o'clock rush was at its peak and the air conditioning just wasn't doing its job anymore. At the height of summer, and during rush hour, the supermarket was simply a miserable place to be. But even though everyone in Bon Temps had gotten that memo, it couldn't be helped. Six o'clock was when working moms went to town for groceries, when kids stopped by to stock on junk food before going to the movies, when nearly everyone in town realized they'd ran out of toilet paper. It was like this - every Friday.

"Just another half hour more Cherry Pie!" Tara Thornton cooed from the cash register next to hers.

Sookie Stackhouse had been massaging the back of her clammy neck with her eyes closed, facing the failing AC up on the wall. She sighed, staring at her friend's encouraging smile. She smiled back and turned to smile at the next customer.

"Hi!"

Sookie was a 23-year-old woman with a postponed college education and a job as a cashier at _Grab It Kwik_. It was supposed to be a temporary job. Similar to her waitressing job at _Merlotte's_. It had been temporary for two years now. Most of the time, she didn't give it much thought. It was a job - it paid her bills. But on a day like this, in the middle of the summer, when every hour spent on that chair felt like a whole day? When she had to keep that polite, happy smile on her face while she dripped with sweat? On days like this, Sookie thought a lot about her life – and how utterly purposeless it was. On days like this she realized she had been floundering, grappling with every overwhelming aspect of her life. On days like this she realized how utterly terrifying it was to not have a plan.

And especially on this day, she realized how terrifying it was to be a woman.

"Can you try this other credit card, please?"

"Of course!" Sookie snapped out of her head as she reached forward to grab the new credit card from her customer's hand.

Her own hand felt overly clammy, and she wondered how much was the heat, and how much was just her adrenaline kicking up because of where her thoughts had been. She cast another hopeless glance to the large clock on the wall opposite her and then cursed herself for even looking at it again. Didn't she already know the more she looked, the more the hours dragged?

"Uhm… I'm sorry Mrs. Buckman, but this one was refused as well…"

"What? That's impossible!" the woman shrieked with her own embarrassment as she angled her body and then yanked at the credit card machine, swiveling the support arm around so she could see for herself. "I don't understand!"

The next customer in line let out an impatient sigh and Sookie couldn't help herself casting another glance up at the wall clock. Her eyes dropped to the customer _after_ the next one in line, angling their body around curiously to peek at what she was doing to fix this problem.

"Please, try again!" Mrs. Buckman said rather stiffly.

Sookie nodded mechanically, removing the credit card from the machine to start all over again, while the murmurs in her queue began. As expected, the trick didn't work, and before Mrs. Buckman started spewing fire again, Jimmy decided to show up, in his blue and brown vest, with his manager tag on his chest, and a world of apologies on his lips.

"What seems to be the problem here?"

During the _negotiations_, Sookie just followed protocol, nodding vigorously and apologizing profusely for the delay, while Jimmy explained to the customer she could take her purchase to the billing counter and they could work this out in peace. Sookie gave Jimmy the codes and Mrs. Buckman's credit card and soon they were shuffling away with her shopping bags.

Another superfluous glance at the wall clock and another sigh. She dropped her eyes to the floor beneath the clock, where a tall man in a black suit was reading a magazine behind sunglasses. She frowned slightly at his pick of a glossy female fitness magazine and shook her head. The man glanced upwards at the wall clock, and as though it was contagious, she did the same. Twenty three more minutes – one minute for every year she'd been alive…

After Jimmy gave her _the nod_ and she'd finished putting in her day's numbers, she plucked her tray out of the cash register and wrapped it in her old blue nylon bag before she vacated her chair. Darlene, carrying her own nylon bag containing her cash register tray smiled at her and wished her a good night.

Sookie dragged herself to the staff locker room and handed her blue bag to Jane Bodehouse before opening her locker. She sat down on the bench with her purse on her lap and reached up with both hands to rip the elastics off of her hair, running her fingers through her tresses to loosen the tight braid she'd wound her hair into earlier.

"So it turns out Mrs. Buckman really had no credit!" Tara Thornton revealed as she appeared beside her and yanked her own locker open. "Her face was priceless!"

"Poor Mrs. Buckman…" Sookie sighed. "I hope Mr. Buckman will come by and fix it…"

"They're getting a divorce."

"Oh…"

Sookie closed her eyes and rolled her neck to the left and to the right, trying to relax the knots bunching up in there. When she opened them, Tara was closing her locker while looking furtively around them. Sookie dropped her hands from her hair and looked around them as well, holding her breath when Tara sat down next to her, and dropped two familiar looking boxes on her lap.

Her breath hitched when she gazed down at the brightly colored home pregnancy tests, discreetly bought from the pharmacy aisle. She swallowed as she quickly covered them with her hands before stuffing them into her purse hurriedly.

"Thanks… I wouldn't know which ones to pick…" she whispered at her friend, while not looking at her.

"Just don't rush to do them tonight. First pee of the day…" Tara whispered back.

Sookie pulled in a sharp breath. "I'll try…" she held her purse on her lap and stared at the lockers in front of her.

She felt it when Tara gripped her hand and gave it an encouraging squeeze. It was comforting and Sookie attempted a grateful smile. They talked no more about it. It was their rule. No more talking until there was something to talk about.

Sookie stood and stepped into the bathroom to wash her face, hands and neck. She also ran a brush through her long, untamed hair, grabbing at the tips and trying to keep them straight enough. Finally, she put on some lip gloss – cherry flavored. A running joke between Tara and herself.

When she stepped back into the locker room, Maudette was in there as well, talking to Tara, and her friend shot her a tired look over the other girl's shoulder. Sookie smiled sympathetically as she stepped over the bench to take her purse.

"G'night girls…" she muttered, throwing Tara a signal that she would call her later.

There was no breeze when she finally stepped outside on the parking lot. Not even a little one. Sookie glanced at the sky and sighed, resignedly. She couldn't wait to get home, take a proper shower, and then spend the rest of her night in front of her fan.

Adjusting the strap of her purse over her shoulder, Sookie started walking up the street towards the bus stop. If she were lucky, she'd take the bus on time to be home before 8pm. She smiled at the possibility. It was always good to stay positive.

She had to a walk a whole block and she started getting a funny, weird feeling. Like she should look over her shoulder. Like she was being followed. Sookie had never been the paranoid type, but right now, she was feeling a little antsy. It was a feeling that had been accompanying her for a while now, if she was honest.

Perhaps it was the heat, perhaps it was her exhaustion, perhaps it was the weight of the two pregnancy tests in her purse that made her unreasonably anxious. Hell, it was probably all three combined.

Without breaking her stride, Sookie held onto the strap of her purse and cast a discreet look over her shoulder. She scanned the street behind her, and all she could see were cars parked along the sidewalk. Except for one, single silver-colored car with dark tinted windows that seemed to be moving slowly along the street. She watched as it swerved to the right, behind an old and decaying bright red Honda and blinked.

She was definitely being paranoid. No one in a car like that would be looking to abduct her because she couldn't even afford for a tire in one of those things!

Rolling her eyes to herself, Sookie looked ahead and carried on walking. She tried to convince her legs to move faster. If she walked faster, then she would _definitely_ catch the right bus.

There was a sudden, violent collision of something really hard against the back of her shoulder that made her halt completely. Sookie gasped as someone brushed past her, hooking a hand through the strap of her purse and yanking it forward. The mugger wasn't very smart, because Sookie hat slung her purse across her chest, meaning the yank only made her lurch forward along with him.

Sookie held onto her purse instinctively. The man who'd tried to rob her turned around, a hand still firmly wrapped around her strap, and he glared at her, giving her purse another strong yank. Sookie lurched forward again and this time she wiggled herself away from the strangling strap.

Man and purse fell to the ground while Sookie barely managed to stay on her legs. The contents of her purse spilled to the ground and she watched in panic as the man rolled to his feet, glaring accusingly at her. When it looked like he was going to advance on her, he stopped, his eyes fixing on something, someone behind her. His expression hardened minutely before the man pivoted around and started jogging away, completely forgetting about Sookie and her purse.

Sookie stood rooted to the ground, her hands splayed in front of her in a silent attempt at placating the angry mugger. She watched him turn around the corner and disappear speechlessly.

"Are you alright?" a voice from nowhere asked her.

Sookie jerked her head to the side, taking a step back. A tall man in a dark suit and sunglasses approached her in long strides. Sookie mouthed wordlessly for a moment, while the stranger grasped her elbow gently as he peered down her front to look for injuries.

"Uh…" Sookie finally managed to nod.

Had the man somehow frightened her mugger away?

"Did he threaten you?" he asked, dropping his hand from her elbow and casting a glance in the direction the man had disappeared to.

Sookie just shook her head. The man stared at her a moment longer and all Sookie could think about was the agents in _the Matrix_ movies. She could see very little beyond his fancy suit and glasses. He was intimidatingly tall and broad-shouldered, with dark blonde hair. She couldn't see his eyes because of the thick sunglasses, but the only other remarkable thing about him was that he had a handsome cleft chin. Cleft chin men always made her think of the debonair villains in her old, cheap paperbacks she bought for a dollar each from the guy in the Green Van. And he had the black suit and hidden eyes to go with it… but he couldn't be a villain if he'd just scared an angry mugger away.

For a moment, she wondered if he'd been the man she'd seen at _Grab it Kwik,_ reading a magazine, but she immediately shook her head at herself for the silly idea.

The man seemed satisfied she was alright and then turned to squat down next to her and reach for her purse.

"You don't have to…" she fell to her knees on the sidewalk next to him, horrified.

Several items had rolled away from her purse. Her coin purse, her umbrella, and her pregnancy tests. Sookie flushed deeply when her rescuer grabbed them and handed them over to her. She couldn't see his eyes through the sunglasses and she wondered if she'd imagined the long, inquisitive stare he'd given the inanimate objects before he returned them.

"Thanks…" she muttered embarrassedly as she shoved them back into her purse along with her coin purse and umbrella.

_Agent Smith_ was already standing and he offered her a hand and helped her up. She smiled gratefully and slung her purse strap over her shoulder again, holding it to her front protectively.

"Resisting is a very foolish thing to do…" her rescuer said mildly. "He could have been armed. He could have hurt you."

Sookie frowned a little at the admonition. She hadn't _meant_ to resist, it'd just happened!

"I uh…" she opened her mouth to defend herself but words failed her. She was either too tired or she just couldn't be bothered. She sighed and faced the be suited man, staring at her behind sunglasses. "I will remember it next time…" she cleared her throat. "Thank you…" she could see eyebrows arching over the frames of his sunglasses and she hurried to say her goodbyes. "I uh… have a bus to catch. _Thank you_," she repeated. "Excuse me…"

She brushed past him as she made to get going and she thought he smelled real nice. Not like the men she was used to, that's for sure. Curiously, after she'd walked a few steps, Sookie stole another glance over her shoulder, and confirmed her suspicion. She saw the tall Matrix-Agent-Man sliding inside the fancy silver car she'd noticed just a few minutes ago. What was someone like him doing lost at this part of town she had no idea.

Sookie didn't know much about cars, but she knew _that_ one. Hybrids were popular and they sold all types of car magazines at _Grab It Kwik_. You wouldn't see the regular shopper dumping their groceries in the trunk of that type of car around here. Yet, the more she thought about Agent Smith, the more she was sure he'd been the suited man she'd seen beneath the clock. Maybe he had been lost.

Lost and rescuing and berating young cashiers in Podunk Bon Temps. He'd probably driven too far out of Shreveport or something. Maybe he was testing how far electricity would take him. Not very far if he ended up here, she guessed.

Sookie had to abandon her musings about the helpful stranger when she saw her bus appearing at the crest of the hill. Gasping, Sookie started jogging to make sure she made it to the bus stop in time. Fortunately, the driver was patient, and she thanked him breathlessly as she paid her fee.

Sitting down on one of the benches at the back, she gazed outside, at the fading light of the day, and she finally allowed herself to process what had just nearly happened to her. She remembered the mugger's unforgiving eyes, she remembered the violence of his yank and shove and she shivered, wrapping both arms around her poor, and now battered red purse.

He wouldn't have stolen much. Fifteen bucks, a couple of pennies, the keys to her apartment, her old cell phone, the cheap novel she'd been reading – and of course, her five-year old red purse, which she loved. It was too big, but it was resilient, like her, it'd lived through the years, and now, through an attempted mugging.

Sookie took deep breaths as she noticed her hands shaking. What an inappropriate moment to be overcome by the event! She hoped these weren't the first signs of hormonal imbalance. She hoped she wasn't pregnant.

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**A/N:** Inspiration struck me several weeks ago in a hot summer's day while waiting in line at the supermarket. I hope you're intrigued. I have been enjoying this one.

While content should be safe for now _if_ it becomes less so I will refer you to my blog.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you so much for the awesome feedback! Here's more for your troubles!**

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**2.**

July 26, 2013

On the third floor west-facing side of the _Bellefleur Hotel_, there was only one room being currently occupied. Only one window open into the damp, unpleasantly warm night. With not a breeze to stir the pristine white curtains, its occupant was left to put up with the racket going on across the street, at what looked like it could be this little shanty town's only and exclusive dancing club. It wasn't even located directly across the street – the Bellefleurs had taken care to build a somewhat spacious, paved garden between their hotel property and what constituted the town's Main Street. But noise travels in funny ways. The guest currently assigned to room 305 had arrived three days earlier, and had been warned, by a very apologetic manager, about the _problem_ and that, should he require, they'd relocate him to an east-side room on the fifth floor. Now standing in front of the window, eyeing the flashing, neon sign pertaining to _Fairy Dust_, the guest had to admit he had dealt with worse. Eric Northman had checked in on Wednesday, surprised he had been deemed _lucky_ to find a room at all. According to the manager, July was a _touristy_ month, thanks to the town's famous _fly fishing_ contest. Eric Northman hadn't pegged Bon Temps to be famous for _anything_. Needless to say his arrival had raised several questions as to what was his business there. For all intents and purposes, he was working as a consultant for a small company in town. He trusted the locals not to pry further than that. Walking away from the open window, Eric headed to the minibar he was very thankful for since the self-proclaimed _boutique hotel_ apparently couldn't afford for timely repair to his air conditioning. Right about this hour, he would usually go for a vodka served neat. But tonight, he was opting for an on the rocks. He poured himself the double dose out of the mini bottle and dumped the ice cubes into the simple shot glass. He'd ditched his suit jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt as soon as he made it inside the room, but he pushed the much-needed shower for later. First he needed to regroup. There was an e-mail waiting for him on his laptop. The timestamp dated it from three hours ago and he knew there was only one thing that would make his colleague Mr. Burnham choose to communicate via e-mail over a simple phone call. He _had_ to have something new for him. Something new regarding this matter was sadly more important than his shower. So he kicked his shoes and tossed his socks into the laundry bag and sat down in front of his computer, with his half full shot glass in his hand. Bobby just wanted to relay that the _cousins_ had arrived and, as expected, taken themselves up into the guest quarters of the penthouse. He also reported their employer would be arriving in the late evening and he would be expecting him sometime during the weekend.

Eric knew the only truly relevant piece of information in that e-mail was the bit about the _twins. _He sighed, rubbing a hand over his mouth and moving to scratch his ticklish, five-o'clock-shadow while he stared pensively at the monitor.

He drank the rest of his vodka and let the remaining ice to melt at the bottom of the glass as he stood up to think about what he had so far. He picked up his cell phone and stood up, walking again towards the window, hoping maybe there would be a breeze there this time. He looked through his most recent photo album additions. They showed the façade of the _Grab it Kwik_ four streets down, and the street itself. Others had a good view of the cash register #6, where Sookie Stackhouse was stationed every day, usually from noon to six-thirty. The pictures showed a smiley, polite blonde wearing a baggy, blue button-up shirt with the supermarket's logo over her clothes – with her long, bright, blonde hair pulled into a neat French braid.

The earlier pictures showed a three-storey row house in the oldest part of town where Miss Stackhouse occupied the third floor, three-room apartment, where she usually spent her mornings.

Following Sookie around town wasn't a very challenging or taxing activity, as previously reported by Bobby. She had a very simple routine. In the mornings she stayed in her apartment, where she would take online classes from a University in Shreveport – so she could get a college degree. On her free time she often stayed home, or visited her friend Tara, who lived with her alcoholic mother in a rented house closest to the rural side of Bon Temps. Even more rarely, she went out with friends to a bar or to the movie theater.

Tonight's little kerfuffle with the mugger had put him in an awkward position. First because it'd forced him to interact with her, which hadn't been part of the plan. Second because it made him privy to information that posed a bit of a problem. The pregnancy tests that spilled out of Miss Stackhouse's purse rose more than one little red flag.

In previous reports, Bobby had declared Sookie Stackhouse wasn't in a relationship with anyone. Yet, if Eric Northman had to guess as to the identity of the father – he would bet 50 on Mr. Hoyt Fortenberry.

Mr. Fortenberry had been seen leaving Miss Stackhouse's building at inconvenient hours before, and after running a background check, they were certain he didn't have any sort of relationship with the other residents on the floors below. He had been however, friends with her brother since middle school and never a stranger to Sookie. On the occasions she was seen out with friends, Mr. Fortenberry had been present, and had been the one to drive her home.

He would have to file that information for later, for when, and if, it became relevant.

If his employer was returning home tonight, he would want to discuss Sookie, and the whole Stackhouse situation. It meant he would have to drive to Shreveport in the morning. But he shouldn't check out. He had the feeling he would still want him to be stationed here, especially now that the twins were back in town.

Eric closed his laptop and decided to take that shower before doing anything else. He could think better when he felt like a human being. He ditched his clothes into the laundry bag, turned his water to cold and stepped under the shower head. Despite its many shortcomings, he had to admit, the bathrooms at the _Bellefleur Hotel_ were quite decent. The shower was decently spacious, which, for a guy like him, was always a treat – the shower head was big enough and the water kept whatever temperature you chose appropriately. He'd stayed at worse hotels while working before, and that was saying something.

When he left and the damp, warm air hit his cool, wet skin he immediately regretted having left the shower. As he dressed, he decided to poke the manager about fixing the AC again. After he'd done that, and after he'd called the kitchen and ordered a sandwich he decided to touch base with the _fort_. It was after 9 o'clock, and he guessed the boss had made it home by now.

"_If it's not good news, then it's no news. You better have news or I'm hanging up._"

Eric snorted as he leaned back against the headboard of his bed and ran his fingers through his damp hair.

"What exactly would constitute bad news in your book, Pam?"

_"If the Stackhouse girl was arrested for prostitution or bank robbery."_

"No jail time for this Stackhouse," Eric paused, taking note of her tone. "What crawled up your butt?"

"_Have you met Claudine and Claude Crane?"_

Eric chuckled. "I have and I… am so sorry." Pam sniggered on the other side. "I've been told Mr. Brigant was supposed to return this evening."

"_Yes, he's in his bedroom right now. Probably turning in early so he won't have to put up with those two. Are you coming tomorrow?"_

"I guessed it would be requested of me. What time?"

"_Come for brunch! Niall will be happy to see you on a full stomach. Besides, I'm sure Claudine would __**love**__ to set her eyes on you and it would get her off my ass."_

"I am so content to make _your_ life easier, Pam," he deadpanned.

"_Hey, need I remind you how you got this job in the first place?_"

"No. And you know I'm very thankful."

"_I know…_" Pam said and he could imagine the shrug of her shoulders. "_But seriously now, nothing to report? Have the vultures started hovering yet?"_

"No. No one has come up to her at all."

"_Hum… I think they may never come. I think Niall overestimates the Cranes."_

"Yes but keeping an eye on things is probably a good idea."

"_Well, you should know."_ There was another sigh. "_I think once we fix the problem with the __**other**__ Stackhouse, the old man will calm his tits and let it go."_

"You sound like you want him to let it go," Eric roused his eyebrows curiously.

"_Oh hey, I have nothing against any happy reunions if that's what he wants. But let's be realistic here, Eric. How do you think __**that**__ would go?"_

Eric didn't answer immediately. He had never given any of it any serious thought. He never occupied his mind with whether or not what an employer wanted was reasonable or feasible. It was not in his job prescription. It was part of the no-attachments policy. But he'd been working for Niall Brigant long enough to know him a little well, and even if he didn't want to, perhaps he'd formed his own opinion about the whole thing. He wasn't about to get into that with Pam though.

"I don't know. Never really thought about it."

"_Well I have. And it's never pretty. Ugh. I have to hang up, I'm about to go into the study and I can see Claude in there. See you tomorrow."_

"Go get him."

"_Shut up!_"

With a final snort, Eric hung up and right on time there was a knock on the door and he was reminded of his sandwich. He got up to open the door for the bell boy, who told him someone would be in tomorrow to fix his AC. It was a good thing, because he would be in Shreveport tomorrow. He thanked him, tipped him and closed the door, picking up his sandwich and sitting in front of his laptop again. He still had a few hours to kill before it was time to check in with Chow – who was in charge of keeping an eye on the girl all night. He'd called him earlier to let him know about the attempted mugging, so he knew to look for signs of distress and he knew to call him if she decided to leave again.

Again thinking about his interference this evening, Eric had to flinch. What good had it been to admonish the girl about resisting, when he had been the one jumping out of the car like some self-proclaimed Knight in Shining Armor to scare the scumbag away. It'd worked, fortunately, and had it come to blows, he would have been armed while the kid probably had the equivalent to a pocket knife, but still, it hadn't been very smart. Yet, he hadn't been able to stop himself.

Eric would never admit to suffering from any hero-complex, but he'd never been able to turn away from helping someone in distress. It had been what had ultimately led him to this career path. Showing himself to the girl had been stupid already. He'd have to be more careful than ever now, or she'd eventually spot him, and that was definitely not part of the plan.


	3. Chapter 3

3.

July 27, 2013

Unable to contend with her nerves, Sookie marched out of the bathroom tugging her robe tighter about herself and ignoring the taunting pregnancy test on the sink. She moved to sit at the foot of her bed and kept her head down, because if she looked up, she would see it.

She just had to keep telling herself to breathe. If it was positive, then it was positive, and she'd deal with it. If it was positive, then she could sit down and think about all the ways in which her life was going to change. _Until then Sookie, keep-breathing._

Deciding that sitting there was just going to drive her crazy, Sookie stood up and walked into the small living room and attached kitchenette. She still needed to take her shower, as she'd woken up sweaty and hot, even though she'd slept with her window open, the fan on, and completely naked. But she could turn the coffee pot on and check if she still had any bread in the house for her toasts.

She switched on the TV behind her, for some background noise while she started working in the kitchen and did her best to stop thinking about the little stick of doom in her bathroom sink. The TV announcer was talking about a great car sale in Monroe to an overly excited female actress who apparently needed a car as badly as she needed an acting coach.

As she buttered her slices of bread to make toasts with, a soft, unexpected breeze caused the thin white curtains above the counter to sway and billow gracefully. Sookie paused her movements, staring at it while she waited to feel it against her skin. She nearly moaned when it brushed against her face and neck. Right about now a cool morning breeze was as mythical as unicorns and dragons. With a deep sigh, she sagged against the sink and enjoyed it. The couple on TV raving about cars, disappeared into a black hole as she tuned them out. That was the stuff. God why did she have to live in subtropical Louisiana?

A subtle _ding_ coming from her bedroom caused her eyes to snap open and the happy blissful bubble she was in disappeared along with her breeze. The car commercial wrapped up in the background, giving way to the morning newscaster, who immediately started talking about heat waves.

She'd programmed her cell phone timer to let her know when it was time to look. With another sigh, Sookie dropped the butter knife next to the cutting board and walked mechanically back into her room and then into the bathroom. She swept up the waiting home pregnancy test and walked over to her bed and plunked down.

As she looked down at the test in her hand, Sookie knew one thing: she didn't want to be a mom. She'd never really given it serious consideration before now. It seemed to go without saying that if you're a woman, you have this innate desire to have babies and raise them just so that they can give you grandbabies and, if you're lucky to live long enough, even great grandbabies. Now _that_ was the dream right? Or so it was what those toy commercials seemed to tell you. That even as little girls, miniature women, could only think about being mommies someday.

She hoped this didn't mean she was broken somehow. She was slightly relieved Gran wasn't around to watch her have this little revelation. Gran had been talking about great grandbabies since Sookie had started wearing bras. Even back then, Sookie had joked she would have to talk to Jason about that. Not that it mattered now. Neither Jason nor Sookie were likely to give her great grandbabies now. Not even posthumously. _Sorry Gran._

Sookie laughed at her silly inner monologue and threw her head back, mouthing _thank yous_ at the sky. Her body was clearly playing pranks on her. She would do as Tara told her and keep the other test to take it again if her period didn't start by the next week. But for now, for now she was relieved.

There was a bounce to her step as she went into her shower stall. She switched the power off, and braved a cold, morning shower – it was refreshing, and she wanted to stay under the water stream forever. She washed her hair twice, and scrubbed her entire body with her citrus body wash – it made her skin feel frisky and clean. She knew the feeling would last 10 minutes, if that, but she enjoyed her shower anyhow.

She changed into shorts and a tank top, pulled her hair into a loose bun and ate her breakfast really fast. After that, she grabbed her keys, her purse and walked out.

Hoyt Fortenberry lived three blocks away, near the Cinepop. She didn't mind taking a walk – especially since the earlier breeze seemed to have returned. She even bought an ice cream cone to make the trip more pleasant.

She had been avoiding Hoyt since the first day she missed her period. She hadn't told him about her suspicion, and now she was glad she never would have to talk about it. Hoyt wasn't really her boyfriend after all. He wasn't her friend either. He'd been friends with her brother, and one of the few Jason didn't mistrust when it came to his little sister. And Hoyt had never abused that trust back when they were hormonal teens growing up.

Their amorous encounters didn't start until Jason was arrested, three months ago. Hoyt had shown up to say he _was there_ for her, for whatever she needed. And, in truth, when he said that, neither one of them imagined he would be there for her _like that_, or that she wanted that from him. It'd happened the first time about two weeks after Jason's lawyer informed her that her brother had pleaded guilty and was being taken to be processed.

She'd gone out with Tara, JB, Dawn, Hoyt, and two other friends of Jason to commiserate about what a dumbass her brother was. Neither of them were drunk, they were both painfully sober when she invited him upstairs for tea. They sat on the couch and talked. Talking led to cuddling, cuddling to making out, and then that was it.

It wasn't really anything dramatic such as _he was the only one she could talk to about Jason_ – no, nothing cheesy like that. She'd just realized he was the one guy in all of Bon Temps she didn't find to be a complete idiot. Chatting with him had been surprisingly pleasant. Like her, he was trying to get a college degree. And while he worked part time at his Dad's hardware store, he said he had no desire to simply inherit the business. Ironically, Hoyt wanted to be a lawyer.

What he really wanted was to physically go to a college in Shreveport, but it just wasn't feasible, so online classes for now would have to suffice. Sookie felt the same. Without a car, she just wasn't apt to dislocating daily to school and back – and she could only imagine what that would cost her in gas.

She liked Hoyt. She liked him more now than she did when he was just Jason's best friend. But she wouldn't go so far as to say she was in love with him. The one time Hoyt had ever brought up whether or not they were _seeing each other_, she'd given him such a look he'd put his palms up in mock apology and dropped it. They both knew what would happen if they got serious about each other. A couple of years would go by, they'd get married and move into one of the house rentals near Tara and her mom and she'd start popping little Fortenberry babies, who would have _Maxine_ for a grandmother. And neither of them wanted that. They had plans. They wanted to fly a little higher. At least, Sookie hoped he was on the same page as her.

So when her period failed to come, she'd gotten a terrible preview of what life would be like for them if it turned out she was really pregnant. She'd immediately cursed her libido and broken condoms. She had almost wanted to blame it all on Hoyt, but that was a stupid, unreasonable reaction which she stifled quickly. Shit happens. But fortunately, not this time.

So to appease her conscience, she walked up to _Fortenberry & Son's Hardware_ that morning, jingling her keys in her hand as she looked around for the _Son_. She'd better cover up quickly for the fact she'd been avoiding him, lest things get weird between them. She found him in the cables and cords aisle, looking busy with a clipboard and a focused look on his handsome face.

Hoyt had always been what Tara had dubbed a _cute-giant_ in High School. At 6'4, he could have been an intimidating figure. But he looked just like a big, overgrown boy – even with stubble on his face. He had brown eyes, sandy-blonde hair he kept really short, a big, docile smile and a button-nose. Dawn had been all over him until prom night, when suddenly, she was all over Jason. There had been no resentment between them because, in truth, Dawn had always freaked the hell out of Hoyt.

"Hey!" Sookie called out when he didn't notice her approach.

"Hey!" Hoyt did a double take before he actually acknowledged her, so distracted he had been. "Sookie…" he watched her curiously for a moment. He looked like he was about to say something, then thought better of it. He tucked his clipboard under his arm and turned to her fully, turning on his nervously-friendly smile. Sookie'd grown used to seeing that smile on his face, since they were kids. Whenever Hoyt was uncomfortable, or nervous, he'd switch that smile on. "It's good to see you… You've been… busy?"

Sookie had her own emergency smile on – the one she used when she really didn't want to explain something. Yes, she had been avoiding him, she had counted on him being too polite to ask about it though.

"I'm sorry, I've just been… work and school…" she gesticulated vaguely. "I just wanted to drop by and see how you're doing!"

"I'm doing good!" Hoyt relaxed, hooking his hand on top of the nearest shelf casually. "I actually had been trying to get in touch with you about something…" he looked over his shoulder quickly, probably looking to see if his Dad was hovering. "I was thinking about getting into a car to go and see Jason…" he arched his eyebrows meaningfully, dropping his voice considerably, so Sookie had to lean forward to hear him. "I was thinking… maybe you'd like to come with me?"

Sookie stiffened instantly – taking a defensive step back without even realizing it and folding her arms under her chest as she clenched her jaw and breathed through her nose slowly. Hoyt blinked, noticing her change of demeanor and looking taken aback.

"Well, you know, I was thinking you'd like to come. It's a bit of a…"

"No, thanks…" Sookie breathed at last, looking away uncomfortably. "I'd rather stay here."

Now Hoyt looked truly surprised. "I think he'd like to see you… he told me he'd like to see you…" he muttered.

"Yeah… well… I'd like to see him not being an idiot," Sookie snapped, immediately regretting her hostile tone. She pinched her eyes closed and shook her head at herself derisively. "Look… have a nice trip and all. But _don't_ ask me to come with you and don't guilt me into it." She added a bit more gently.

Hoyt watched her with a sympathy that was starting to piss her off. It was the look all her friends gave her lately. She really wanted not to take it out on Hoyt, so she glared at him when he stayed like that too long.

"Hey, don't listen to me if you don't want to, Sook…" he started defensively. "But I think you might regret this later, you know? He is your only brother…"

"And I'm his only sister. That didn't mean he stopped to think about me before he did what he did."

"Hey, come on…" Hoyt lowered his voice even more, his eyes flitting around them to make sure they weren't being listened to. "You and I both know Jason is a good guy! That all of this is a mistake…"

"It's not a mistake when you _confess_, Hoyt!" Sookie rolled her eyes, feeling the anger at her brother sizzling under her skin. "It doesn't matter how good a guy he is behind bars! When he comes out, _if_ he comes out, no one's going to talk about what a hero he is, people will shut doors on his face! Companies will refuse him jobs!"

Unlike Hoyt, Sookie was practically shouting in her anger now, and when the chimes at the door rung, Hoy shifted uncomfortably, looking over the shelves, from his advantageous height to see the customer coming in.

Sookie huffed, folding her arms even tighter around her middle, shooting a furtive glance over her shoulder, at the man who'd just walked in, and parked next to the _Do-It-Yourself_ magazine rack. His eyes flitted over to them before he picked a magazine and started to browse. She frowned, shuddering awkwardly from the weird vibe the man gave her.

"Look, I know how you feel…" Hoyt leaned closer to whisper and when Sookie rolled her eyes at him again he took a step closer and made a frustrated sound. "No, I _do_!" he insisted. "Jason's like a brother to me! You know that! I don't like what's happening to him any better than you do! I wouldn't have tried to help him if I didn't mean it, would I?" he seized her eyes with his, pleading her to work with him.

Sookie sighed heavily, her anger dissipating only a little as she was reminded Hoyt had been the one to hire the lawyer to help Jason. He'd even refused to let her, or Jason, pay the bill. She dropped her eyes to the floor between them, but kept her mouth shut.

"I understand you're mad at him…" he continued. "But… we're all he's got out here, Sook!"

Sookie lifted her eyes again, and Hoyt was content to see at least a little crack in her armor there. Sookie Stackhouse wouldn't be caught crying in corners – ever. So to see the hint of liquid pooling in her eyes was a sign he'd gotten through to her somehow.

"I have to work…" she said in a strange voice, and she swallowed, shifting again, forcing herself to relax the tension on her shoulders. "I'll be taking extra shifts… I don't have time…" she looked around them, trying to seem uninterested. "You can go, he'll be happy to see you."

Hoyt, knowing it was pointless to insist, nodded, stepping back and straightening up. "OK. I'm going on Monday…" he scratched the back of his neck. "In case you change your mind."

Sookie fidgeted for a moment, shuffling her foot on the linoleum floor. "I… I might have a couple things you could take to him?" she ventured in a small voice.

Hoyt smiled and nodded. It was something. "Yeah, sure. I was thinking about bringing him porn…"

They laughed together for the first time. Sookie shook her head and straightened herself up. "I'll… drop by before Monday then…" she added gently. "I should get going. You're working…"

Hoyt nodded, and he looked over her shoulder with a frown. But Sookie didn't turn to look, thinking the creepy customer was probably just being creepy.

"Maybe we could… hang out later?" Hoyt offered when it looked like she was about to walk away.

"Maybe…" she said vaguely with a smile. "Are you going to the bar tonight?"

"Yeah!" Hoyt nodded profusely.

"OK…" Sookie started stepping backwards towards the exit. "I guess I see you then…" The smile Hoyt gifted her with made her chuckle a little smugly. You wouldn't think they'd just been having a very tense conversation moments earlier. "Bye…" she waved, turning around.

"Bye, Sook."

The gentleman by the magazine rack was still standing there, which gave Sookie pause. She stopped in the middle of the aisle with a frown. The man looked up, arching his eyebrows curiously at her. She didn't know why he stood out. He certainly wasn't familiar. He was an average-height, bulky Asian man with an antagonistic expression on his face, even as he was idly staring at a magazine. But people looking vaguely hostile when idle had never set off any alarms before.

Sookie shook off the strangeness and rushed to walk past him in a hurry. She didn't stop until she had pushed through the door, setting the chimes to ring again. Out on the sidewalk, she looked back inside and frowned as she caught the man's eyes following her around.

_Weirdo._


	4. Chapter 4

**4.**

July 27, 2013

Every staff member at Brigant Park IV knew to defer to Pam Ravenscroft unquestioningly. Niall Brigant's P.A. had, over the course of more than a decade, earned his complete and unshakable trust. He would trust her before he trusted his own heirs. Which was why when the Cranes arrived at the doors, she had been the first one management called. Even an unscheduled visit from Mr. Brigant's grandchildren was _irregular_ and, therefore, to be reported immediately.

So when the elevator opened into the penthouse floor of the building, the two security guards standing idle in the foyer immediately straightened up, nodding efficiently when Ms. Ravenscroft marched out - the clicking of her heels echoed against the walls as she nodded at them perfunctorily on her way in.

Clancy and Charlie were fairly competent and had been in the staff long enough to know that when Pam wore white, she was in turmoil, and they'd do better to stand out of her way. Fortunately they had nothing more to report than the fact Mr. Northman had already arrived and had been invited out on the patio to sit down with Mr. Brigant just minutes earlier.

She was happy to just go in and get done with it. She'd had a late night, managing the Cranes' arrival and disturbance of the house's routine. Claudine had even brought her pre-adolescent daughter Claudia with her, which was a low blow if she'd ever seen any.

In any case, Niall had greatly enjoyed seeing Claudia and was completely oblivious to the fact she really didn't want to be here. Pre-adolescents can be pretty tactless – and often on purpose. But it'd gone completely unnoticed by the patriarch.

Pam had still had to stay up late making arrangements for them since the staff hadn't been on duty. Niall wasn't home and they'd been given the night off. But now they were all settled the three of them, and she wondered where in the house they were skulking at this time.

She walked out onto the patio and popped her sunglasses on as she made her way across the large open area to the wrought-iron breakfast table where Niall and Eric were reunited, with cool glasses of lemonade between them and an assortment of snacks. At 93 years old, Niall had grown a bit fond of the simpler food. The large umbrella above the table protected him from the sun and Pam noticed Eric had foregone sunglasses, knowing Niall preferred to look people in the eyes when dealing with them.

Pam was glad Niall had warmed up to Eric pretty quickly. She'd known they'd get along well. It'd been almost a bigger favor to her than it had been for Eric and she knew Niall had known that. For a man his age, Niall was very perceptive.

She worried about Eric. Not in the professional aspect really – she knew he could make his own luck there, always had. But the truth was, she'd wanted to keep an eye on her step-brother. She felt like someone should be looking out for him, even if he didn't think he needed it.

Working for Niall, leading his security team and Niall's _side project_ had been a cakewalk for Eric. And he wasn't anymore fond of the weather here at this time than she was, but he had a pretty big reason to stay in Louisiana and she'd only wanted to help him accomplish that.

She was always afraid though, that once this Stackhouse thing was over, Eric would find working here a bit lacking. Perhaps she was being a little selfish here, but she liked him close. She felt as though as long as she could keep her eyes on him, she wouldn't have to worry about him. Perhaps Niall would do the trick. The man inspired loyalty like no one she'd ever met. Thinking fondly of her employer, Pam stepped up, whipping her sunglasses off as she joined them.

"Good morning gentlemen!"

"Pamela!" Niall immediately pushed his chair to stand up. Always a gentleman, even at his age, he'd always stand for a lady.

Eric had stood as well and moved to pull a chair for her, offering her a smirk when she made a show of thanking him before she sat down.

"Why the blazes are you two out here in this inferno?" she asked them as they retook their seats. "Need I remind you, sir, you cannot take this much direct sunlight?" she addressed Niall.

Although her words could be construed as maternal, her tone was not - which was the only reason Pam had ever gotten away with admonishing him like that. People had a way of treating their elders as though they were were children. Pam had never insulted Niall like that.

"I am using plenty of sunscreen!" Niall rebutted. "You just don't want to admit you hate the sun!" Niall smirked.

Eric's chuckle from across the table had Pam glaring at him through narrowed eyes. She ignored him, turning back to Niall. "I am only a woman who enjoys the benefit of air conditioning, Niall."

"You just need a lemonade!" Niall said and snapped his fingers towards the entrance, from where, almost immediately, the maid appeared carrying a jug.

"Very well, I know I can't win this!" Pam leaned forward with her elbows on the table and folded her hands together resting her chin on top of them, watching them while Ms Penn poured her fresh, ice-cold lemonade. "So, what have I missed, Eric?"

"Tell her, Eric! Tell her!" Niall signaled at him while raising his glass of lemonade to his lips, nearly spilling its contents at his did so.

Pam frowned, noticing Niall's sudden agitation and wheeled her head back to Eric who was shaking his head and raising his hand in refusal as the maid tried to offer to refill his glass.

"Something happened?" Pam stared at him, befuddled. She'd spoken to him on the phone last night, and he'd had nothing to report. What could possibly have happened?

"Miss Stackhouse was mugged on her way home," Eric supplied. "Well… nearly mugged," he corrected himself, and then he shifted in his seat, looking back at Niall uncomfortably.

"Oh! Well, that is not unheard of around those parts!" Pam tried to shrug it off. "Why do you say _nearly_?"

Eric shifted again, and he looked embarrassed about something. "Well she tried to resist at first, and I knew it could get ugly so I…" he trailed off, giving her a look and allowing her to deduce to rest.

"Oh!" Pam looked back at Niall to get his opinion about that. She noticed his gazing into space as he drunk from his lemonade thirstily and minutely shook his head to himself. "Well, what happened?" Pam whipped her eyes back to Eric.

"She was a bit rattled, but she just picked herself up, thanked me and went on home. She's fine," he added in a way that sounded like he'd been trying to reassure Niall of that repeatedly. "She just went home and stayed in all night."

"And she has no idea who you are?" Pam roused an eyebrow hopefully.

"Of course not. I was just a passerby, stopping to help."

"I'm glad you did!" Niall spoke at last, resting his empty glass on the table, still looking distraught and suddenly very tired. "I hate that she lives and works in that part of town!"

"Well, I know. But from her finances it's understandable…" Pam reasoned, at the same time she patted his hand sympathetically. "And with the boys watching her like they have been, nothing bad is likely to happen to her now."

"Yes, yes, of course…" Niall nodded, subtly removing his hand from the table "Have you been able to reach Desmond yet?"

"Not yet…" Pam shook her head regrettably. "Mr. Cataliades is still abroad. Although his office informed me he should be back by the end of the week. He's visiting his daughters in Amsterdam."

Niall rolled his eyes as he dabbed at his mouth with a napkin manically. "The man has never taken a personal day off in his life. Of course he chooses the moment I need him to do it!"

Pam made no comment and simply rolled her eyes over to Eric silently. He blinked back at her with a blank expression. There were certain things she would never say out loud to Niall. It went hand in hand with that unshakable trust business. She knew not to push the wrong buttons. She could have questioned what he could expect Mr. Cataliades to accomplish since the boy had gone and pleaded guilty anyway, but she didn't. Besides, what did she know about these things? Not a damn thing. She hated legalese almost as much as she hated shellfish. Yet, she'd had to learn some of it in her line of work – but never, ever, anything to do with criminal laws.

"Well, when he gets back you'll be the first he calls, you know that!" Pam chose to reassure him instead. "And, if I may change the subject for a moment, what do you want me to do about your house guests?"

"Nothing!" Niall shrugged. "They can fend for themselves, I'm sure they know how to call for the staff when they need them!"

Pam narrowed her eyes. "Are we not talking about how long they plan to stay this time?"

Niall shook his head. "The penthouse is big enough for everyone, just let them be."

"Very well," Pam sighed. "Then what are your plans for today?"

At that moment, whatever Niall had been about to say on the subject was interrupted by way of Claudine's tinkling laughter as she walked out on the patio, clutching an arm around her daughter. Niall looked up immediately and smiled warmly at the sight of his pouting great granddaughter. He and Eric both stood up as customary, waiting for their approach.

"There he is!" Claudine gasped dramatically, shaking her daughter's shoulder as she did so. "Go on, kiss granddaddy good morning!" she gave Claudia a little shove.

Pam snorted discreetly over her shoulder as the poor kid, who was obviously not having as great a time as her mother, dragged her feet on her way over to the table where Niall promptly enveloped her in a warm hug and kissed her cheek.

"Good morning my dear! I had almost forgotten you'd come too!"

Claudia Crane was a thirteen year-old like most thirteen year olds – they may love the adults in their family, but they don't really want to spend any time with them. However, the moment Niall held her, some of that hardened crust seemed to break and the girl actually smiled and chatted back with her great grandfather a bit, nodding and smiling as he asked her questions.

"Good morning Claudine!" Pam said as she finally joined them, walking behind Niall to the vacant seats. "Where is Claude?"

"Hello _darling_!" Claudine beamed at her before smiling at Eric as he pulled up the chair for her. "Thank you _Eric_…" she added in a smoother voice, making sure to brush his shoulder as she said it.

Pam rolled her eyes, pressing her lips together to keep from smirking too hard. She waited for Claudine to be seated and shot Eric a flitting look as he retook his seat. He looked like he'd be happy to take off about now.

"Claude won't be up 'till noon!" Claudine said, her eyes going over to Niall and Claudia who were chatting obliviously on their side of the table. "Come sit between mama and Niall, dear!"

"Well, I should go…" Eric said pushing his chair back. "Unless you need me, Niall?"

Niall looked up, having been distracted by the arrival of his youngest great grandchild and then shook his head as he blinked to clear his eyes.

"No, nothing new, Eric. You're free to go, thank you."

Eric nodded with a polite smile and turned to address the others. "Ms. Crane, Claudia… Pam…" he nodded at her meaningfully before he started his retreat.

Pam nodded back discreetly and then turned her attention back to her boss and Claudia. It was obvious they wouldn't be discussing work right now, so after staying for a few minutes longer and making small talk, Pam excused herself as well.

She found Eric by the bottom of the staircase that led into the family's private rooms, just as he was stowing his cell phone in his pocket. He looked up at her and waited for her approach, tucking his hands in his pockets. He'd ditched his suit jacket somewhere, and his tie and he had his sleeves rolled up at his elbows. She didn't blame him, with the heat and Niall insisting on having his meals outside, she was almost stripping a few layers herself.

"Well didn't that look cozy?" she said as she marched up to him. "Don't think Claudine didn't notice how quick you were to leave though!" she teased him.

"Chow called," Eric ignored her comment.

"Oh?" Pam blinked, stopping in front of him and folding her arms across her chest. "What did he say?"

"Sookie went for a walk earlier this morning, she met up with Hoyt Fortenberry and they discussed going to visit her brother."

"Niall will want to hear that…" Pam said immediately.

Eric shook his head. "She's not going. Chow said she was angry about it and Mr. Fortenberry couldn't convince her."

"Huh…" Pam twisted her nose and mouth as she mulled over that one. "Well I can't blame her, I think. If my brother had been that stupid, I might just leave him to rot too."

Eric cocked his eyebrows at her. "Now we both know you don't mean that."

Pam sniggered. "I would never call you stupid. Passionate, perhaps. But not stupid."

"Passionate?" Eric smirked at her.

"I get to choose how I see it. It's how I sleep at night." When Eric's smirk melted into a frown she hurried to reassure him. "I'm only joking, Eric."

"I'm heading back to the hotel. With the Cranes here, Niall is more concerned about her being approached than he had been before."

"Yet he still acts as though them being here is just jolly good!" Pam rolled her eyes.

"They're his family," Eric shrugged.

"You don't ignore people being arseholes just because they carry your blood!" Pam countered. "You don't see _me_ going looking for _daddy_ do you?"

Eric smiled knowingly. "No, indeed I don't. You're tough. Niall isn't."

Pam smiled, taking that as a compliment. "Well then go on. Shanty Town awaits you."

Eric sighed, rolling his eyes as he started heading to the doors to the lobby. Pam walked with him.

"So what is she like up close?" Pam asked casually as Eric pulled the doors opened for them.

"What do you mean?" Eric asked as he angled his body so she could step out first.

"I've seen _pictures_ of her before. But, is she that pretty up close?" Pam batted her eyes at him as she turned around to face him.

Eric arched an eyebrow and smirked. "Does Amelia know you have a crush on our subject?"

"I'm the one with a crush, huh?" Pam smirked. "When did she stop being _Miss Stackhouse_ and became _Sookie_?"

"When Sookie turned out to be shorter and quicker to say," Eric deadpanned and Pam laughed. "She's _snippy_ up close, if you must know."

"_Snippy_?" Pam grinned. "I can roll with that."

Eric chuckled, shaking his head, he gripped and squeezed her shoulder fondly as he walked past her. Clancy had already called the elevator for him so he just went inside, nodding at him and at Charlie Twinning who hung back by the door.

"By the way, why didn't you tell me about the attempted mugging last night?" she frowned and folded her arms across her chest again as she stood facing him by the elevator doors.

Eric blinked at her curiously. "Because you told me bad news were _no news_."

Pam just glared at him and he smirked back just as the doors slid close between them.

"Arse," She huffed, dropping her arms and turning back around.


	5. Chapter 5

**5.**

July 30, 2013

Weather forecast promised mild rain in the late afternoon and Sookie scoffed derisively at the TV as she started folding her laundry. It wasn't like they hadn't been promised rain for the past week. She would kill for a little rain. She would even _dance_ in it when it finally happened. But she had zero faith in their local meteorologists lately.

She glanced at the clock by the center table to check she was still on schedule. She had to be at _Grab It Kwik_ by noon like always. She'd had a productive morning. She finished an essay and submitted it to her professor online, she started on one of the books from the obligatory reading list and she did most of her washing. She'd have to make a sandwich and call it lunch, but at least she would be mostly free to relax with a book in the evening. She kept folding her clothes and putting them on separate piles on her couch while listening to the news.

She was so focused on getting this done on time, and following her schedule, that when the doorbell rang she nearly jumped out of her skin. She looked over her shoulder at the door, frowning hard. This really wasn't the time for visitors. She dropped the t-shirt she'd been folding and strode to the door, forcing herself not to scowl at whoever it was on the other side as she yanked it open.

"Hoyt!" all of her irritation dissipated and she sagged and held onto the door. "Hi…"

"Hey, Sook!" Hoyt looked down at her while leaning on her doorjamb. "May I come in?"

Sookie nodded wordlessly as she stepped back for her friend to step inside. A knot lodged itself into her throat and another in her stomach as thoughts of her brother, which she had been working hard to suppress, burst forth along with Hoyt Fortenberry's long strides into her apartment. She lingered by the door, watching him, looking for signs in his expression that things had gone horribly wrong. When he turned around, surprised to see her still there, he shot her a curious look. Sookie batted her eyes nervously and hurried to lock the door before she joined him by the couch.

"Please, sit!" she said pushing her piles of clothes to the corner. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Ah, actually yeah, I would… I'm parched!" Hoyt chuckled as he sat on the couch and looked up at her.

"Aren't we all?" Sookie grinned back at him. "Iced tea OK?"

"Yep!"

She smiled with a nod before she walked over to her kitchenette and reached for her fridge. She took a moment to stick her face in there and, not only relish the chill of it, but to give herself a quiet pep talk. She was going to hold it together, no matter what he had to tell. Jason had put himself in this situation, and there was _nothing_ she could about it. Sighing, Sookie re-opened her eyes and nodded to herself, reaching to grab the jar with iced tea. She poured him a glass and walked over to him, handed it to him and moved to her waiting pile of laundry.

"I hope you don't mind I do this while we talk," she said casually light.

Hoyt shook his head and drank from his tea simultaneously. "Don't mind at all… ah… this was delicious. Thank you."

Sookie flicked her eyes away from the top she'd been folding to noticed he'd already drained his glass. "There's more in the fridge if you want."

Hoyt shook his head negatively and stared at the glass as he rested it against his bouncing knee. "So I saw Jason yesterday," he went straight to the topic.

Sookie sighed and nodded, placing the top on its pile before reaching for the next item of clothing. "Yeah?"

"He's… he's OK…" Hoyt seemed surprised to be saying this and when Sookie looked at him quickly he hurried to add. "Well… given the circumstances… I mean he's… not getting into trouble nor anything like that."

Sookie looked away, nodding, aware of her heart thumping madly. She kept quiet and waited for more.

"He asked about you…" Hoyt trailed off.

"Hmm…" Sookie didn't take the bait, she kept her eyes on her task.

"He thanked you for the underwear…"

At this Sookie chuckled and nodded. "Did you give him the money and cigarettes?"

"Yes, I did. I checked with the Office; we can bring him books next time, but we have to leave it at the desk and it will be handed to him after inspection."

Sookie nodded silently. _Next time._ There would be a next time. She sighed deeply and picked the next item to fold. "That's _great_."

Hoyt sighed too and she could see him bobbing his head in her peripheral. "Yeah, it's tough. But Jason is tough too, you know? He's gonna make it in there. And he's going to get out of there and then everything will work itself out."

"Yeah…" Sookie replied mechanically. Her heart had stopped its crazy thumping, but the thumping had only moved into her head.

Hoyt talked a bit more about his visit with Jason, and Sookie mostly nodded quietly and smiled in the appropriate places. She found she couldn't speak, or swallow. Her earlier enthusiasm for her productive day had fizzled out and the heat was getting her down even more. After she was done with the folding it was nearly time to go to work and she looked at the clock pointedly, hoping Hoyt would get the hint.

"Oh, hey, I can drive you to work!" Hoyt said suddenly, as someone who's just had the brightest idea. "Have you eaten yet? We could grab a bite on the way."

Sookie looked at him, surprised, and then grinned. "Are you trying to score an impromptu date?"

Hoyt laughed, making a face at her. "No. I'm just… you know… we could eat."

Sookie thought for a moment and shrugged. "Since I only had a sandwich in my future, I'd say that's ok. If you're buying!" she added with a smirk.

"It's on me."

Sookie rolled her eyes. "Shut up, I was kidding!" she patted his knee and stood up. "Give me ten minutes to get dressed."

Lunch with Hoyt cheered her up a bit, even if he took her to _Merlotte's_, her previous work place. It _was_ pretty much the best bar and restaurant in town. Sam Merlotte was probably one of the most successful local business owners. Other than the Bellefleurs, who owned a hotel.

She couldn't blame Hoyt for bringing her here – he didn't know why she quit in the first place. To her relief, Sam wasn't around. Arlene Fowler took their order and she looked pretty surprised to see her there too. Sookie tried to smile and look comfortable, and once that awkwardness was dealt with, she actually had a good time. It was good to go to work on a properly filled stomach, that's for sure.

"Did I see you getting out of Hoyt's car?" Tara questioned her when she took her seat behind the cash register and pushed her tray back in its place. Sookie nodded, distracted with doing her setup. "So… are you two…?" Tara trailed off.

Sookie looked over at her, nearly laughing at her friend's puzzled expression. She smiled instead and shook her head. "He came by to tell me about Jason."

"Oh!" Tara's expression changed immediately into concern. "Is he alright?" she whispered-shouted, leaning across the space between their cash registers.

Sookie stared speechlessly at her friend for a moment. _Is he alright?_ He was in prison, goddammit. "Yes…" she breathed out, turning her eyes back to her station. "He's alright."

"Well… good…" she heard her friend sigh behind her. "Poor Jase…"

Sookie closed her eyes and shook her head to herself. She wished she could say _poor Jase_ as easily as others would, but she couldn't. So she clenched her jaw shut and got on with work, sad the lightheartedness she'd felt from hanging out with Hoyt disappeared so quickly.

It didn't get better when the A.C. gave out.

"Perhaps they'll stop being cheapos and get a decent one this time." Was the general comment made by both staff and clientele.

Although Sookie's mood plummeted at the measure her clothes started sticking to her skin in strategic places, she had to smile impishly at the sight of Jimmy the manager, running up and down the place, sweating like a pig, with huge, unsightly pit stains. She didn't care if it made her petty and mean. He was always ignoring the cashiers' complaints about the malfunctioning air conditioning and how it made work more unpleasant. Always acting as though they were just a bunch of whiny, ungrateful bitches.

"Anyway, they'll have to replace the _whole_ roof. It was pretty bad!" Maudette said between taking puffs of her cigarette.

It was her fifteen minute break, around 4pm and Sookie and Maudette slipped outside on the parking lot. Sookie stared up at the immaculately blue sky and cursed its lack of clouds. She patted the back of her neck with a sigh, feeling the little hairs sticking to her skin there.

She had no idea what Maudette was talking about anymore. She just stared at her empty water bottle and wished she had more.

"…and _that_'s why you should always get an insurance!" Maudette finished whatever she had been ranting about.

"Yeah!" Sookie nodded profusely, hoping it was the appropriate reaction.

Maudette seemed to be about to go into another rant, when she was silenced by a distant rumbling. They blinked at each other and looked up at the sky. Sookie had to look over her shoulder to see it – the dark clouds hanging above the ground at a considerable distance.

"Lucky Hotshot bastards…" Maudette muttered, taking another puff from her cigarette.

Sookie's mood darkened as she stared at the distant cluster of the neighboring town. "Yeah…"

There was a different kind of rumbling and Sookie turned back around to find Maudette nodding to their right. Sookie looked over, just as the familiar, silver colored Volt belonging to Agent Smith zoomed by just outside the parking lot.

"I bet it has air conditioning…" Maudette said. She dropped her cigarette, stepped on it and looked at her. "We going back in?"

"Yeah…" Sookie said a third time, as she swiveled her head to accompany the now disappearing vehicle.

Two more hours in the stuffy supermarket and she could go home. At one point, Jimmy the manager was seen gesticulating wildly and angrily while he spoke on the phone. The cashiers speculated what that was about, and by the end of the workday, the gossip seemed to be Jimmy had finally manned up and called the owners to complain about the broken equipment.

Sookie stepped out of the bathroom in the locker-room feeling slightly better after throwing water on her face and neck, and brushing her hair out to whip it into a high ponytail. Tara joined her and they left _Grab It Kwik_ together, laughing at a shared joke and surprised when a breeze rushed over them almost instantly.

"Oh damn!" Tara looked up at the sky.

Sookie followed suit, and just as she did, the first droplets landed on her heated cheeks. The sky rumbled above them, but, even though the clouds weren't as heavy as they had been over Hotshot, water started pouring on them nonetheless, cool and refreshing, and they just stood there and welcomed it, laughing like two little girls.

"YES!" Tara shouted at the sky while Sookie tittered next to her.

Sookie turned to grin at her friend and then, taking a couple steps to the side, while giving Tara a warning look, Sookie kept her promise to herself from earlier and, spreading her arms and tossing her head back again, she started dancing in the rain, spinning round and round and splashing the rapidly forming puddles on the pavement.

"Yeah work it girl!" Tara laughed and clapped for her, the water making the clapping less effective.

Around them people were running, seeking cover, and cars zoomed by faster, but the two of them started walking at a leisure pace, enjoying the rain like it was nothing.

Several feet behind them, Eric Northman watched them from inside the car. He couldn't help the smile pulling at the corners of his mouth at the sight of her, so light and carefree, dancing in the rain like a child as she kept up with her cheering friend, spinning around backwards so she was facing her as they walked. He thought that was the happiest he'd ever seen her in the several weeks he'd been standing watch. The pleasure her happiness gave him was a bit alarming and he sighed at himself, shaking his head.

"Chow. She's heading home." Eric fixed his phone headset as he switched the engine on.

_"OK. Coast is clear. No vultures."_

"Good. I'll be there soon. We need to switch cars."

_"Why?"_

"Because she's seen mine."

_"Ah, right. No problem. I'll see you in a few then."_

Eric switched off his phone and watched from a safe distance while Sookie and her friend Tara hugged enthusiastically, still unbothered by the rain although it had picked up quite a bit. They waved goodbye at each other and took different directions.

She was drenched from head to toe, her clothes clung to every part of her body enticingly and he noticed a few men staring blatantly as she bounced across the street, holding on to her purse, her soaked ponytail swinging behind her. It wasn't the first time Eric admitted to himself the girl was beautiful. But perhaps it was the fact it was the first time he'd seen her genuinely happy about something that made her nearly breath taking.


	6. Chapter 6

**6.**

August 2, 2013

It had been raining every late afternoon since Tuesday, sometimes late into the night. It meant people got a little reprieve from the heat and more people were encouraged to go out and enjoy the breeze outside.

That was how Tara convinced Sookie it was a good idea to go to the town fair that Saturday night.

Sookie knew instantly upon arrival, it _wasn't_. It wasn't a good idea at all. It might have been a good idea when they were sixteen and a trip to the fair was the only way to see that cute boy from school. But right now, even though the place was crawling with adults ready to go on the pitiful rides that were probably more of a hazard with how old the equipment looked, there was very little entertainment to be had. Unless you were willing to be very, _very_ creative.

"Hey, isn't that Dawn?" Tara nudged her as they left the refreshment stall.

Sookie looked up, still sipping her soda from a straw, to look in the direction Tara indicated. Between clusters of passing people, she glimpsed her high school friend Dawn Green, lost in one hell of a kiss.

"Who's that?" Tara asked as she squinted, trying to figure out who the guy was.

"No idea…" Sookie said around the straw in her mouth.

As soon as another group walked across and blocked her view, she lost interest in them and started looking around, choosing to walk towards the arts and crafts square at random. She'd rather look at handmade knick-knacks than stand in line for a 1930's wooden Rollercoaster or a 1970's squeaky Ferris Wheel. Tara followed her unquestioningly, still craning her neck around to try and get another glimpse of Dawn and her new squeeze while licking at her ice-cream cone.

They started going around counter-clockwise, looking into the many displays lined up inside little tents. There were less children and teenagers running around this side of the fair, so it was also easier to move around. Sookie stopped to look at a long, beaded necklace, and the vendor immediately stepped up to offer her assistance. She could tell Tara had gotten distracted in a tent further down, where someone was trying to convince her she should buy the ornamental bee-hive she was currently holding.

After she managed getting rid of the vendor without buying anything, she strolled alongside the tents, without actually looking into them – afraid she'd get snagged by another stubborn hippie. She started looking at the people instead.

There was a time, when she was much, much too little, when she could do three laps around this fair and see no-one she didn't recognize by name. Times had changed. There were a lot of faces she didn't recognize. Somehow, it made going out better, she thought. She could actually expect the unexpected. There were strangers all around her.

She smiled a little, comforted by the thought even Bon Temps had to change after all. She finished her soda and looked around for a trash can. She'd just found one and strode towards it when movement in her peripheral drew her eyes to a food stall across from a stretch of lawn between the arts and crafts and the rest of the fair.

She immediately recognized the short, greasy-haired blonde paying the vendor for something and thanking him with an innocent-looking smile. She seemed to say something to the vendor and then laughed, showing all of her teeth.

Sookie's eyes narrowed as she followed her while she backed away from the food stall and started turning around while biting into her hotdog at the same time. She started heading towards her, unseeing, tripping on her own feet and stopping, to check her strappy sandals.

Rage bubbled inside of her.

"Hey Sook, I think I just saw Barry… what's wrong with you?" Tara had caught up to her, and then trailed off as she took in her friend's expression. She followed Sookie's line of sight and immediately drew in a sharp breath. "What do you say we go check what movies are showing tonight?" she added quickly.

"Excuse me…" Sookie tossed her soda in the trash can and started marching towards the still oblivious blonde, still bent over, adjusting a strap on her right sandal.

"Sookie…" Tara said warningly as she started to follow her.

"Crystal…" Sookie said chillingly as she stopped in front of the girl.

The blonde stopped what she was doing, looking up abruptly, still bending over as she was. Her blue eyes widened immediately and there was a definite gulp.

"Hey… Sookie…" she started saying with an uncertain smile as she straightened up.

* * *

Eric had known about the town fair – it had been one of those _touristy _things the manager insisted he take a look at. There were even brochures in the hotel lobby. It was definitely more crowded than he'd expected it to be. He didn't think it was a tourist thing though – he was certain most of the people there tonight were just locals looking for something to do outside, to enjoy the cooler air that had been prevailing in the evenings for the last four days.

It definitely made it trickier to keep track of Sookie Stackhouse like this. But well, a challenge for once. Bobby was on foot, keeping closer watch of the girl. Eric had been doing the rounds of the whole fair to see if there were any suspicious agents around. Everyone looked pretty local, or pretty innocuous. If what Niall had said was correct, then others would definitely come to them, now that the grandmother was dead.

But Eric had told Niall that what would most likely prompt such an action, was his own obvious moves in regards to this small family. Niall had surprised him when he'd said that was exactly what he wanted. He wanted to see what his grandchildren would do about it, if they would try to go over his head, like their parents had done years earlier. It was the reason for this whole secrecy thing. The reason he hadn't personally sought the Stackhouses yet.

Pam had suggested, in part, Niall was just afraid. Eric thought that was very possible. Whatever the reason, Niall wanted them to do this silently for now – and so they had.

Eric's phone buzzed in his pocket, and he shot another perfunctory glance around him before he started walking towards his car, parked across the street. He went inside – the windows were still sprinkled with water from the latest drizzle. He looked out towards the fair as he reached for his phone. Sookie and her friend Tara were just in his line of sight now – because of the stretch of lawn that separated one square of the fair to the other. He kept his eyes on her as he answered his phone.

"What's up?"

_"I think we-y-ve-a vulture."_

"Come again?" Eric frowned, recognizing Chow's voice through the horribly connected call.

_"A car just pulled away from the front of her house."_ The sound came clear now. _"Two occupants. A man and a woman. Th—y-seemed to-empty house…"_

"Chow I can barely understand you, move the fuck around." Eric narrowed his eyes as he watched Sookie looking like she was gearing up for a fight. She'd tossed her soda cup and started marching purposefully somewhere. His eyes quickly flitted around until he found the tiny blond fussing with her sandals by a food stall.

_"Is it better now?"_

"Yes," Eric craned his neck around to follow the action unfolding across from him. Sookie and the smaller girl seemed to be having some type of face off, though Sookie seemed to be angry, while the girl was struggling not to recoil under her gaze.

_"A couple parked in front of the house just minutes ago. They got out, buzzed the intercom. Apparently there was no answer and they left. I know for a fact the landlady and her son are home – so obviously they had been looking for Sookie."_

That distracted him from her momentarily, and he looked ahead, grasping the steering wheel reflexively. "Did you get a license plate?"

_"Of course. I also dusted the intercom for fingerprints. Will let you know if I get anything."_

"Good boy. License plate from where?"

_"Mississippi."_

"Very well. Text the entire team the car details, make and model, color and license plate. Get started on what you can immediately."

_"You got it boss."_

Eric put his phone away, still staring ahead of him, the gears in his head were in motion. Could this really be what they'd been waiting for?

He looked over through his window, back at where Sookie had been and immediately frowned. She was surrounded now. The small blonde was still in front of her and staring at her while she spoke, still rather angrily it seemed, with an uneasy Tara at her back. But the other girl was now flanked by two rather unfriendly looking men in old, ripped jeans and soiled white t-shirts.

One looked to be over fifty and wearing a mocking sneer as Sookie talked at him. The other one should be in his twenties and the set of his jaw let him know he was more upset with Sookie than the older man – he flexed his hands at his sides and swayed in place.

"Bobby…" Eric answered immediately when his phone chirped.

_"It's not looking good."_

"What's going on?" he kept his eye on her, the older man was speaking now, he seemed to be provoking her – the girl beside him reached to tug at his arm and seemed to be trying to calm him down. Sookie didn't seem to be backing down.

_"Something about her brother. I can't get close enough without being visible. Her friend looks worried."_

"So does the other girl." Eric observed as the smaller blonde seemed to be trying to push the younger man back now as he tried to advance. Tara was now tugging at Sookie's arm too. "Who the fuck are they, Bobby?"

_"I don't know…"_

The younger man pushed the little blonde aside and got in Sookie's face pretty fast, forcing her to stumble back a little.

"Fuck… Bobby…" Eric yanked at his door handle.

_"I'm on it._"

The line went dead and just as Eric got out of his car he saw Bobby Burnham get in between the two men and Sookie by wedging an arm in between them while hovering protectively over her. The older man looked uneasy and backed away, watching him carefully, but the younger man was trying to push past him to get at Sookie while the blonde grabbed at his arm and tried to yank him back.

If he laid a single finger on her…

Eric strode across the street, keeping his eyes on the group. They'd drawn more attention now, and two men, coming out of nowhere stepped in to help Bobby smooth things over. Eric stopped and waited. It seemed like it was under control now. The interference made the men deflate pretty quickly, and, the now frantic little blonde seemed to have convinced them to walk away. They did, tossing angry looks at Sookie over their shoulders.

Eric watched as Bobby spoke to Sookie, who was also angrily glaring back at the other two. Finally she seemed to listen to Bobby and she nodded at whatever he said. The other two strangers who had appeared also joined in to make sure she and Tara were OK. His eyes remained on her – she nodded at Bobby and the others reassuringly, but she would still glance in the direction the other three had disappeared to, distracted.

He noticed she wasn't exactly shaken by what had happened, she hadn't truly felt threatened, although the two men had seemed threatening enough that her friend, the blonde, and three people had to step in to interfere.

What had they missed? Eric stared in that direction as well, and found the trio walking fast away from the fair. They'd obviously missed something important here. Why didn't they know who those people were? They were obviously not strangers to Sookie.

He looked back at her just as she was walking away with her friend Tara in tow. They were walking in the opposite direction, and he was grateful for it. Sookie looked tense though, and he knew her mind was still furiously focused on those three people and whatever had transpired between them. They went into the bathrooms and he sighed. He looked over to Bobby who had found him and pointed to his phone before he heard his own chirp in his pocket.

"So?"

_"I got nothing. We just made sure she was alright. She thanked us, said she was fine and they were just junkies. Her friend was very frightened. I got a name though."_

"What name?"

_"Crystal Norris. The girl."_

"Where have we heard that name before?" Eric frowned.

_"She was Jason Stackhouse's girlfriend. She was in the footage of his arrest. I only realized it when I got close enough."_

"Well it's a lead." Eric looked again towards the spot where he'd last seen the trio. "Find a change of clothes quick or we'll have to replace you."

_"What are you going to do?"_

"I'm going to find out who they are," he said as he started heading back to his car.

* * *

Several hours later as Sookie stepped out of her shower and turned the water off she looked up curiously, hearing the distinctive sound of water beating down on her roof. She smiled a little and pushed her shower curtain closed, swiping her hairbrush as she made it back into her bedroom.

She let her window opened, not really worried about water coming in – it was worth the soft, cool breeze. She walked into the living room and straight across to the bay window facing out of her façade. She pushed the curtains aside as she kneeled on the little cushion and forced the old window open, inhaling the wet smell of rain. Her eyes fell upon the street, quiet and deserted at this hour – except for the few cars parked across the street. Her eyes landed squarely on the black Ford parked in front of the Lodging further down the street, partially obscured by a tree that sprouted from the concrete sidewalk next to it. She stared at it for a moment, thoughts bubbling inside her head.

She pulled away, leaving the window open and turned around to go back into her room. She quickly changed into cutoff shorts and a black tank top, not bothering to brush her still damp hair before she left her third-floor apartment, going down the steps quickly wearing her flip flops.

The rain outside making contact with her skin would have been pleasant any other time, but as she advanced on the car down the street, she didn't even think to enjoy it. She stopped right next to the passenger door and knocked soundly against the tinted window.

A moment passed before the automatic window slid down all the way and Sookie leaned down to peer into the car. She stared straight into the driver's eyes with her hands on her hips.

"You need to tell whoever you work for, that you're _terrible_ at this."

The Asian man she recognized from that day at _Fortenberry & Son_, and a number of other places, including the parking lot at _Grab It Kwik_ now that she thought about, looked back at her with a look of someone caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He had a phone pressed to his ear.

"I'm going to have to call you later…" he said quietly before he hung up. "Miss Stackhouse..." he started politely.


	7. Chapter 7

**7.**

August 2, 2013

This was absolutely disastrous. Months of coordinated and invisible monitoring and now it was all over – and on the very same night they finally get a lead, a sign that maybe someone else was sending their people too.

Eric had been at the other end of the line when Chow was discovered, and he heard her loud and clear. Before he could say anything, Chow disconnected the call.

Cursing under his breath, Eric turned his key and pulled away from the front of the cemetery, where he had been parked for the last fifteen minutes, while conferring with Chow about their recent discoveries. He wasn't far from the row house where Sookie rented the third floor apartment, so he stepped on the gas and swerved to the right rather abruptly, ignoring the sounds of his tires against the asphalt.

Within minutes he was zooming down her street and he stopped his car when he spotted her, in the middle of the road, cornering Chow against his car in the rain. He cursed low again and killed off the engine, getting out of the car, his eyes on the pair of them. Chow looked truly uncomfortable, and he noticed him first, he looked away from the girl at him, both apologetically and pleading for help. He really was terrible at this. Chow Ling had been a good investigator, but he had always done best indoors, at some sort of headquarters, doing his snooping from computers. Stealth was definitely not his thing.

"This will be all, Mr. Ling, thank you," Eric said smoothly as he approached them from across the street.

Chow nodded quietly and swallowed, his eyes flitting to Sookie who had frozen upon hearing his voice. She looked over her shoulder at him, a frown already on her face. She was shivering slightly from the cold rain beating down against her skin and soaking through her barely-there clothes – but she seemed too pissed to notice the cold. She blinked and frowned harder, turning to him fully, now ignoring Chow behind her as she focused on Eric, her head cocking to the side slightly.

"Good evening, Miss Stackhouse. My name is Eric Northman. I apologize for the inconvenience. I can guarantee Mr. Ling means you no harm. Neither do I. I can explain everything to you, at your convenience." He said his very rehearsed speech in the most soothing tone of voice possible, all the time aware the Stackhouse girl was scrutinizing him.

She narrowed her eyes as she seemed to be mapping his face with her eyes and then, when he was done talking, her own widened slightly.

"I know _you_ too!" she snapped and then pointed at him accusingly. "You're the hybrid car guy… you scared away my mugger!"

Well yes – there had been _that_ too. Eric sighed and nodded with resignation while Chow arched his eyebrows curiously over Sookie's shoulder. Sookie gaped at him momentarily, turning and stepping back so she could look at both of her stalkers and shook her head profusely.

"I could start screaming – _right now_!" she threatened taking another step back.

"I'd rather you didn't," Eric said calmly, making absolutely no move, so as to not scare her into doing exactly that.

"Oh yeah?" Sookie laughed humorlessly taking another step back, her eyes flitting from one to the other. "Why?"

"Miss Stackhouse, if I or Mr. Ling had meant to do you any harm, you'd be in the trunk of a car right now."

That didn't sound reassuring enough for her and she took another step back, now a little more scared with two of them there. She swallowed, her eyes flitting between them restlessly.

"Chow… head back to the hotel. I'll take it from here." Eric said calmly.

Chow nodded and started moving. Because he had to walk around the front of the car and it put him closer to Sookie she took another step back to give him a wide berth, following him around with her eyes while watching Eric through her peripheral.

Eric waited until Chow had gotten into the car and driven away before he attempted to talk to her again. Her eyes snapped back to him immediately and he could see her flexing her hands at her sides. He'd seen what she was like when in fight mode at the fair – but he hoped to prove to her she had nothing to worry about.

"I promise you I am not here to cause you harm, Sookie," he said soothingly, choosing to use her first name as a way to get her to trust him faster. "We are here to help you, I assure you."

Sookie narrowed her eyes again, and though the rain had stopped, the chill of the air was definitely getting to her now – she shivered, running her hands over her bare arms and noticing her flesh broken into goosebumps.

"Perhaps… we should do this inside," Eric said carefully, his eyes also on the skin of her arms.

Sookie's eyes snapped back to him, warily. He had to hold back his laughter. She was probably contemplating the chances she would be inviting an axe murder into her house. He couldn't blame her – but he didn't think offering to have this conversation in his car would suit her any better.

"I am sure you have a phone in your apartment you can call the police from if you decide I am here to kill you," he tried to keep the levity out of his tone, but when she glared at him, he knew he had failed.

"I'm going to have to see some ID…" she blurted.

Cocking an eyebrow, Eric regarded her briefly. She wasn't asking anything too outrageous, but he had to wonder why would _that_ be reassuring. He nodded and started reaching into his jacket pocket. Sookie took another deliberate step back with her eyes on the movement of his hands. Eric stopped, and held open the sides of his jacket, so she would see he was carrying no gun. He'd left it in the car. When she seemed to relax, he reached for his wallet and handed her his driver's license. He watched as she studied it briefly, noticing the arch of an eyebrow before she handed it back to him.

"New York, huh? You're far away from home, Mr. Eric Northman."

"Does this mean I'm in the clear?" Eric smiled, tucking his wallet back into his jacket pocket.

"I doubt it…" Sookie said, trailing her eyes over him. "A suit in this weather?"

"I have A.C. in the car."

Sookie sighed heavily, staring at his waiting car over his shoulder. "Very well… we should take this inside before the _neighbors_ call the cops… And make no mistake, Mr. Northman… I can scream - boy I can scream!" she threatened.

His eyes fluttered slightly at the possible connotations to that sentence and he had to suppress a smirk. She noticed it though, because she rolled her eyes before she turned around and started marching back to the house. Eric followed her quietly, tucking his hands in his pockets and quickly scanning the road for signs of any red Audis.

There were none – he'd done rounds of the area earlier and he'd found no trace of the car Chow had reported. That was good. One crisis at a time.

He followed her up the two flights of stairs, looking curiously around as he did so. They reached her door, and she shot him a look over her shoulder as she unlocked it, he could tell she was still very uneasy about this. He didn't blame her – but the alternative was his car, and that probably made her more uncomfortable.

"Come on in…" She said holding the door open for him.

Eric stepped inside, his eyes quickly surveying the interior of the apartment. The living room and kitchenette was a larger room than he'd expected. Modestly decorated, but still very charming. He'd never seen the inside of the apartment because Niall had been against the idea of planting bugs in Sookie's house. He spied the bay window, still open, the curtains swaying in the breeze.

He heard the door closing behind him and he turned as Sookie walked around him warily. She tugged at the soaked fabric of her tank top and looked down at herself, only then noticing the state of her clothes.

"I uh… give me a minute…" she cleared her throat, indicating a door to the far left of the room before she walked away quickly.

Eric had been doing his best to keep his eyes on her face but he was glad she was going to do something about it right now. He wasn't ashamed to admit he had peeked – he was still a man after all.

He took a better look around the room, noticing the photographs placed on the shelves against the wall. There was a picture of Sookie and her brother Jason at some football field – Jason was wearing the Bon Temps uniform and holding the helmet to his side, while a younger looking Sookie with pigtails smiled at the camera. There was an older picture where Jason and Sookie stood with an elderly woman sitting between them – he guessed that would have been Adele Stackhouse. She was a healthy looking woman with vibrant eyes and smile – he could see Sookie in her a little. There was another, also old looking picture of Sookie hugging another blonde girl affectionately – he knew from reports that was her cousin Hadley, who lived with her mother in Chicago.

There was one single childhood picture – a tiny Sookie held onto her brother and behind them stood an adult couple that would have been their parents. The man, Corbett, definitely resembled his grandfather – the same silvery-blue eyes, the same laugh-lines around the eyes. It was like looking at an older picture of Niall himself – not even Niall's son Fintan had looked so much like him.

He heard steps coming from the bedroom and he looked up, to see Sookie returning to him, wearing a brown, flower-print cotton dress that stopped in the middle of her thighs. His eyes lingered too long on her tanned smooth legs and she shifted in place and cleared her throat.

"I know who you're working for," she decided when he met her eyes again. Her eyes flitted over to the shelves, where her family pictures were. She folded her arms across her chest before she faced him again, a rehearsed neutral expression on her seemingly flushed face. "You're working for Niall Brigant, aren't you?"

Eric balked, surprised, he batted his eyes repeatedly as he took a step away from the shelves, coming to stand in the middle of the room, so he was facing her, keeping a comfortable distance between them. He was too taken aback to notice Sookie's eyes gauging the space between them warily, or her swallowing and hesitating to take a step back.

"Niall Brigant?" Eric tossed back evasively.

Sookie rolled her eyes with annoyance. "If it's not him, then you're definitely a psychopath. Should I start screaming now?"

Eric arched his eyebrows. "Why do you think Niall Brigant would be having you followed, Miss Stackhouse?"

Sookie sighed. "Because we're related – very unfortunately for him I bet. _Why_ he would be having me followed specifically I don't know…" she paused uncertainly. Her eyes flitted back to the photographs on the shelves and then something seemed to click in place. "Is this about Jason?" She narrowed her eyes and took one step forward, looking inflamed about something. "Is he afraid our kinship will become known and others will know about one of his great grandchildren being a convicted meth dealer?"

Eric dropped his eyes between them, thinking for a moment. He really wasn't at liberty to say why, nor could he claim to know all of it.

"I'm sure Niall would prefer to discuss his reasons personally."

Her eyes widened, realizing he was finally admitting it _was_ Niall.

"Do you have cameras and microphones in here?" she was suddenly uneasy again.

"No, Miss Stackhouse, I promise you, I don't. We have been keeping watch, mostly to prevent others from approaching you." He could disclose that much since they'd been caught.

"Others?" Sookie cocked her head to the side.

Eric nodded, thinking about how to phrase this. "Others… from Mr. Brigant's family, who might have differing interests."

Sookie's eyes drooped slightly as her gaze fell to the floor, and then she looked up again, tilting her head to the side. "Like the ones that came fifteen years ago looking for my grandmother?"

It seemed like it was a night of surprises – mostly for _him_ – how embarrassing…

"You knew about that?" Eric didn't mask his surprise.

"Of course I did. Gran told us everything!" Sookie looked outraged. "She didn't take any money from them!"

That was news too. Eric nodded slowly, adding that to his list of things to discuss with his Niall.

"Did you… did you think she'd taken the money to lie to us about Brigant?" Sookie asked.

"That is what he believes, yes."

"Well, he is wrong. We've always known. Gran put those goons out of her property before they could even finish. They kept coming but she put the police on them."

Eric nodded slowly, staring somewhere above her head. "I suppose that explains why they would send them again then. It's not to prevent Niall from getting to you, it's probably so they can make a new offer."

"They'll receive the same treatment as their predecessors…" Sookie said with a sneer. "I even have my Gran's shotgun with me!"

Eric blinked at her and she beamed at him meaningfully. Yes, she was letting him know she had a shotgun. He had no doubt people knew not to mess with this girl. No wonder she was so fearless facing those two lowlifes earlier – however foolish that had been.

"Would you be open to speaking to Niall Brigant in person?" Eric asked.

"I don't have anything to discuss with him or any other member of that family, Mr. Northman. I would appreciate it if he called off his watchdogs. If I see you or your friends parked outside or following me anywhere, I'm calling the police." She uncrossed her arms and moved past him to get to her door. "Now, please go."

Eric turned and watched her standing there by the door, gesturing into the hallway with a smirk. This really hadn't gone how it was supposed to.

"Miss Stackhouse," he kept to her last name since she had definitely not warmed up to him. "I ask you to please reconsider. I am sure Mr. Brigant would like to speak to you personally about his intentions. As for your brother's arrest, I won't lie – he is worried, but perhaps not for the reasons you think." Sookie rolled her eyes again. "He wants to help him."

Sookie had been tapping her foot impatiently holding to the door. At this she paused briefly, her eyes seizing his momentarily before sigh sighed and looked away again. "I don't know what he thinks he can do, Mr. Northman. My brother confessed."

"Did he take the fall for somebody else, Sookie?" Eric asked smoothly, taking a step closer.

Sookie snapped her eyes at him again, stilling her foot once again. She narrowed her eyes, watching as he came to stand in front of her.

"Or was he working alone at all?" Eric arched his eyebrows. "Is he sparing Crystal Norris and her relatives from Hotshot?"

She stared at him incredulously but said nothing.

Between the confrontation at the town fair and Chow being discovered, Eric had had the time to do some investigating regarding Crystal Norris.

It had been too easy. She was on Facebook, like most people, as was her cousin Felton, the younger man who had been at the fair and had advanced on Sookie. They weren't very smooth about what they did and a quick call to an old buddy of his and he had access to criminal records. There were notes in several local websites about a Calvin Norris getting arrested for meth possession and dealing two years prior – of course that man turned out to be the older man at the town fair.

Prior to being arrested, Jason Stackhouse was no trouble maker. He had a good job as an instructor at a disputed country club that catered to wealthy residents of surrounding towns, including Shreveport. It had turned up in the earliest reports, that he was part of a church group that served soup meals for poor communities in Hotshot.

As it turned out, Hotshot was where Crystal Norris lived – it was a simple case of two plus two then. It also made sense with what Chow overheard from Sookie and Hoyt Fortenberry's conversation on Saturday.

"You really are doing your homework huh?" Sookie deflected with forced annoyance. She let go of the door and straightened up, placing her hands on her hips. "Yes, Crystal Norris and her Dad are trashy losers who cook and sell meth for other losers and my stupid brother was at the wrong place at the wrong time and decided to take the fall for the sake of _love_." She finished with a scathing tone. "He was caught with enough meth to keep him in jail for six months – it was a setup, and my stupid brother fell for it."

"A setup?" Eric was surprised now.

"Felton Norris, he's Crystal's cousin, he hates Jason because he has the hots for _her_. He wanted Jason to get caught, he staged everything and made an anonymous call."

"How do _you_ know this?" Eric frowned.

"Because Crystal confessed to me once I pinned her bony ass to a wall. But she's not woman enough to step up and free Jason if it puts _her_ and her precious daddy in jail."

Eric nodded slowly, adding _that_ to the things Niall needed to know. Sookie blinked at him and sagged slightly under his gaze.

"If Mr. Brigant is really so worried about his reputation that he thinks he can do something for Jason…" she trailed off and flushed deeply, looking away. "Forget it, just please go away."

"Sookie…" Eric took another step closer, they had _almost_ made so much progress.

"No _Eric_, I am tired and I want to go to bed. Tell the old man to back off. We need nothing from him!"

Eric sighed, taking in the rigidity of her posture and the flare of her nostrils. He'd poked the cat too much already. It was time to retreat.

"Have a good night, Sookie." He waited until she met his eyes again, and he smiled and nodded before he walked past her so she could close the door.

In the hallway, Eric paused, turning to stare the door as he heard the key turning in the lock. He also heard her heaving a sigh and her fading steps on the other side.

Well it had been an interesting night, all things considered. A monumental disaster – but an interesting night nonetheless. Now what did he do with all this new information and his _93 year old_ client?

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**A/N: The consecutive updates were just me getting rid of all the chapters I had. Now I am done, so updates will come when I have them. Thank you for reading, please drop a review if you'd like more - the muse likes reviews.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: As always thank you for the comments, favorites & follows. :)**

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**8.**

August 3, 2013

In the morning it was like something snapped, like a light bulb went out, and, after she'd put the coffee to brew, Sookie started tearing through her small apartment, pulling plugs from the walls, checking underneath lamp shades, behind the TV, behind the couch, under the coffee table, inside vases, behind portraits, everywhere she could think of. She tossed her cushions to the floor and checked in the crevasse between the seat and the back rest of her armchairs.

Until she finally stopped in the middle of her bedroom, breathless, with sweat dripping from the back of her neck and her head pounding. This was nuts. She was a nobody. What could they possibly be bugging her _for_?

Sookie sighed deeply, closing her eyes and rubbing at her forehead with frustration as she continuously told herself she was being paranoid. She dropped her hand and opened her eyes to look at her bedroom, now a complete mess, and it was only 9am.

There was no earthly reason why Niall Brigant should be listening in on her conversations. He knew who she was, where she lived, where she worked, he probably knew who she was sleeping with, which was rather disturbing. Everything there was to know he probably already knew without having to listen in on her.

She dropped herself on the foot of her bed and regretted having to put everything back in its place. A waft of freshly brewed coffee smell reached her nostrils and she decided she could do that later. She walked back to the front room and went straight to the coffee machine, poured herself a cup and leaned against the counter to drink it.

That's when she glanced through the window. The curtains were billowing slightly, a soft breeze was pushing through the already unbearably hot air. Holding her cup of coffee close to her mouth, Sookie leaned forward slightly, trying to keep out of sight while still glancing down there. Her eyes looked for the two cars she now knew to belong to her spies, but she only recognized the cars from the neighborhood. It didn't make her any more at ease though – she knew it could very well be they would just be more careful now.

After forcing herself to eat some breakfast, she finally got around to putting everything back to its place, double checking for bugs while she was at it – but, of course, she never found anything. Her only fear was that she just didn't know where to look, or what she was looking for, even as that part of her brain continuously assured her there was no reason for them to be watching her that closely.

The Stackhouses had no earth-shattering family secrets or valuable heirlooms. If Niall Brigant was after them, it _had_ to be a reputation thing – he was worried about Jason's arrest and their consequences for him, if there even were any. Frankly she couldn't see them. No one knew they were related. While he was alive, Sookie's father carried the Stackhouse name proudly – Earl had raised him as his own and there was no one in Bon Temps who'd suspect Corbett Stackhouse was not Earl's child.

Deciding she couldn't sit home all day thinking about Niall Brigant and Eric Northman, Sookie jumped into the shower and changed into a green trapeze dress and sandals and decided to go do something with herself.

She ended up taking the bus to the rural strip, where Tara and her mother lived. Tara welcomed her at the door, surprised to see her there, and invited her in. Fortunately, Tara's mom wasn't around and they could talk in peace in the sunlit kitchen while Tara squeezed a fresh lemonade for the two of them and her dog Albie sniffed around Sookie's ankles.

"Girl you had me so scared last night!" Tara was shaking her head as she sliced the lemons on a cutting board. "What were you thinking? Don't you know you're going to get yourself in trouble messing with that kind of people?"

"Oh please! Calvin Norris is as dangerous as I am! He's just a drunk junkie with a hobby! The only reason he makes any money at all is the fact everyone in Hotshot is as low and broke as he is!"

"What about his nephew though?" Tara eyed her meaningfully. "He was practically foaming at the mouth!"

Sookie refused to be scared by that kind of trash. She shook her head and folded her arms on top of the table as she watched her friend and tried to ignore Albie licking her toes underneath the table.

"I was just furious at Crystal. I want to kick the shit out of her every time I see her! How dare she just saunter around like nothing's wrong while my brother rots in jail because of her?"

"I get that, Sookie, I do!" Tara poured her a glass of lemonade and slid it towards her against the table. "But you have to remember Jason confessed."

Sookie rolled her eyes and dropped them to the table. She was never going to get over this. How could her brother be so dumb? Because of a girl he was likely to ditch as soon as a new girl came along? After all, the reason he ended up in Hotshot with the church relief group was _another_ girl. Amy Burley. Amy was the head of the team, and she'd been giving Jason the cold shoulder, so he thought he would impress her by joining in. Then he met Crystal – and it all went to hell. Sookie had been wrong about her brother – she always thought he had at least _some_ standards.

"Look… let's talk about something else…" Tara said conspiratorially as she slid into a chair across from her with her own glass of lemonade. "You haven't mentioned anything about it so I assume the last pregnancy test came up negative?"

Sookie blinked at her friend and then nodded. "I didn't have to. I got my period this morning…"

"Phew!" Tara sighed. "That's a relief. You know it's probably all the stress messing up with your system."

"Yeah…" Sookie stared at the table top, worrying her lip between her teeth.

She had been debating with herself about whether or not to tell Tara about what else happened last night. Somehow stories about tall, handsome spies didn't seem plausible for discussion even with her best friend.

She replayed the whole thing in her head a couple times on the bus. She'd had pictured Eric Northman walking up to her, and flashing one of those metal thingies in her eyes to make her forget the whole thing last night. Agent Smith had turned into Agent _Will_ Smith.

Hadn't she been so worked up, she would have recognized him immediately. But in the dark, in the rain, with her head swimming, it'd taken her a moment, she'd had to imagine sunglasses covering his eyes before it clicked for her. Agent Smith.

He really was very handsome beneath those glasses. He had big, dark, blue eyes that dragged her in. He'd gone from cleft chin villain to cleft chin hero in a flash. No villains didn't look _that_ good – not in her head anyway. And were she not so irritated by the whole thing she might have swooned at the way he looked at her.

She was aware of his tactics, his eyes never left hers, except perhaps for the brief instances in which he was distracted by her drenched clothes sticking to her body, or in the apartment when he appraised the length of her dress. He spoke soothingly, but firmly, he'd called her by her first time to try and get her to trust him, he kept a wide berth from her and his hands were visible the whole time.

But try as he might, she wasn't going to give in that easily. Niall Brigant would have to give up. She wasn't interested in any form of contact.

"I wish there was something we could do about Jason…"

Sookie looked up sharply, batting her eyes repeatedly, realizing Tara had been talking and she'd somehow missed most of it.

"Me too…" she mumbled.

She wished she could do something about her stupid, stupid brother. But she couldn't. But then, Eric Northman had said Niall did want to help Jason somehow…

"Like you said… he confessed…" she shook her head.

Tara reached across the table to grasp her hand and give it a squeeze. Sookie sighed and squeezed hers back, attempting a smile. This was all a load of bullshit. Six months in prison and his future was ruined.

Sookie ended up not staying long since Tara had grabbed the Saturday shift at _Grab It Kwik_ for some extra cash. So she took the bus back and ended up doing her grocery shopping before going home. She looked around before she walked into the building, but she again didn't see the cars she expected to see.

In the evening, she met up with her friends at a bar. Anything to not be stuck home with her thoughts and paranoia. Tara had skipped it because she was too tired from work, so Sookie was left to catch up with the other girls instead.

"So hey…" Hoyt dropped himself on the lounge couch right next to her at some point in the evening.

Sookie had been talking to Dawn when his heavy arm slung around her shoulder, distracting her. She looked around to find him there, holding a half-empty beer bottle. He looked pink around the cheeks so she knew it wasn't his first bottle. She hadn't seen him arrive.

"Oh hey!" she turned to him and felt when Dawn got up from the couch and disappeared. "What are you doing Teddy Bear?" she patted his thigh and took a sip from her own beer.

Hoyt had slung his head down, and then rolled it heavily towards her with an inquisitive raised eyebrow. "_Teddy Bear_?"

Sookie sniggered, scooting closer. "I was supposed to keep this is a secret. But that's what the girls call you." She whisper shouted at him.

That's when she realized she was a little drunk. She took a moment to be embarrassed by that and then she huffed, dropping her shoulders and sagging further down the couch, allowing her head to roll into the crook of his arm.

"What girls?" Hoyt asked with interest.

Sookie rolled her head towards the bar and pointed not so discreetly at Jessica and Frannie, who were huddled together gossiping and laughing about something – they were fresh out of High School, and had more than once talked to Sookie simply because she was Jason's sister, and well, Jessica seemed to have become very interested in Hoyt tonight, if the conversations she overheard in the ladies' room were any indication.

"Oh…" Hoyt took his time as he silently appraised them.

Sookie was watching his face and then she burst into giggles, causing him to drop his eyes to her – then he looked taken aback.

"Jeez, Sook, I'm sorry…"

"Oh Hoyt…" Sookie shook her head. "You're cute!" she patted his chest. "You're free to look! Look away!"

Hoyt seemed even more taken aback now, and Sookie tried to sober up a little, clearing her throat. It was happening, she couldn't pretend it wasn't anymore. He was either falling for her, or fooling himself into thinking he was. Figures, she had to go and break Jason's only true friend.

She stared at him speechlessly for a moment, her fingers still playing with his shirt, she knew she had to stop that. He was about to kiss her – she had to think fast.

"I had a pregnancy scare, Teddy…" she mumbled.

It worked. Hoyt blinked repeatedly and almost recoiled away from her, but being as they were, sagging on the couch with his arm trapped under her and her head on his shoulder, he gave up, and sagged back down while frowning at her.

"What?"

"It's Ok…" she hurried to assure him, patting his chest again. "I'm _not_ pregnant. I was terribly late, but the test was negative, and then this morning I…" she cleared her throat. "You know." She hoped she wouldn't have to spell it out for him.

Hoyt gaped at her, and she could see the wheels turning as he slowly processed this. She could feel the tension leaving him, and felt his chest heaving underneath her hand as he calmed himself.

"Jesus…" he brushed a hand over his eyes. "That's… that's good Sookie, that's really, really good…"

Sookie chuckled. "I'll say…"

He looked at her sharply. "Why you're only telling me this now?"

Sookie shrugged, frowning. "I don't even know why I told you. There's really nothing to tell…" she remembered she had been trying to stop him from kissing her. "I guess… I just thought I owed you the truth." Bullshit.

But it seemed to work – Hoyt nodded and sighed, staring across from him at the window staring out into the street. Sookie sighed as well, for a different reason, and she took advantage of his being distracted to watch him closely.

She had to end this. While it felt good to have someone's arm around her like this, while it felt good to be kissed and touched, and while orgasms were absolutely the best stress killers in the world, she realized most of the time she kept her eyes closed. He wasn't what she wanted – and she really doubted she was what he wanted. But Hoyt was still such a boy, she could very well see him settling for her. After all, she was his best friend's sister and someone he really liked and respected – someone he didn't really have to woo because he was already sleeping with her.

"I think I wanna go home…" she announced while she sluggishly pushed herself into a sitting position.

Hoyt moved behind her, stretching and scooting to the edge of the couch as well.

"D'you wanna share a cab?"

"Yep, sure…" she smiled. "Is your car safe?"

"Yep."

"Kay, let's go Teddy!" she patted his thigh again and then stood up, waiting a second for the world to adjust.

Perhaps she would take up drinking instead of sexing to get over her troubles. She wondered if that's what Tara's mom had been doing all these years. She snorted at the thought and then she started to move to say goodnight to her friends.

It was raining as they slipped into a cab outside, as it had been every night for almost a week now. She didn't think to look around for signs of her spies – she was comfortably woozy and now chilled by the little droplets that pelted down her skin between the door to the bar and the inside of the cab. Hoyt sat quite close to her, slinging his arm around her once again, and she dropped her head to his chest and just enjoyed it one more time.

"Hey Sook…we're here…"

Sookie opened her eyes, realizing she'd dozed off during the ride. She nodded and moved slowly, yawning as she pawed for the door handle. She heard Hoyt's muttered voice as he talked to the cab driver and she stumbled outside on the pavement. The rain had already stopped, and the characteristic smell of wet concrete invaded her nose. It had been hot all day, so of course the water was quickly turned to vapor and now a damp, hot pocket of air erupted from the ground. She couldn't wait for the summer to be over.

She jogged up the steps to the front door when she heard the cab driving away. She heard steps behind her and looked over her shoulder to realize Hoyt was still with her. She unlocked her door and stayed silent as he followed her upstairs. She was unlocking the door to her apartment when she felt him brushing her hair aside to start pressing soft kisses to the back of her neck.

"Uh…" she cleared her throat and then rolled around, pressing her back to her door while trying to dodge Hoyt's very warm, beer-scented lips. "Hoyt sweetie… I uhm.. I'm on my period, remember?"

For a moment he just stared at her blankly, then it finally hit him and he pulled back as though she had some horrible disease, looking simultaneously pale and flushed. Sookie couldn't help it and burst into laughter.

"I'm sorry…" he muttered. "I'm an idiot…"

"No sweetie, you're just drunk…" she assured him. "I'll tell you what…" she said as she turned to open her door. "You sent the cab away, so you get to sleep here. Just _sleep_," she stressed. "Come on in."

She waited until he was inside and locked her door, throwing the chain on for good measure as she vaguely thought about Eric Northman or the other guy whose name she couldn't recall, parked outside, keeping tabs on her.

She turned to see Hoyt swaying in her living room, looking more uncomfortable than ever. Frannie and Jessica were right about him, he was just a big Teddy Bear.

"Hoyt listen…" she pushed her hair behind her ears and grabbed his hand, leading him to sit on the couch with her. "You know I love you right?" his eyes found hers, still a little out of it. "Like a friend…" she added. "I have known you forever and I adore you and I'm so happy Jason has in you the brother he probably wishes he had instead of me!" Hoyt smiled a little. "But I think you and I… we… we should go back to being just… friends friends…" she looked at him inquisitively, hoping she wasn't too late, hoping she wouldn't hurt him too bad.

Hoyt blinked at her, not saying anything at first. "Is this about the pregnancy thing?" he shifted in his seat. "Because we never… I'll switch brands…"

Sookie blinked repeatedly, shifting in her seat uncomfortably now.

"This isn't about birth control Hoyt…" she sighed. "I just… I don't want to lead you on." Hoyt looked away now and she took another deep breath. "I'm sorry… I thought we were both on the same page but…"

"It's OK, you can stop…" Hoyt covered her hand with his. "You're right, I'm probably not… in the same place as you." He swallowed. "I didn't _try_ to fall for you… but… I don't know… I've been feeling different…" he looked away. "You know I actually asked Jason if he was OK with me… pursuing you…" he laughed a little embarrassedly now.

Sookie widened her eyes. "What did he say?"

"Fortunately there was a glass wall and a stone counter between us…" Hoyt grinned and Sookie laughed. "No he uh… he was surprised… he said he would never have imagined…"

Neither would she…

"But now I just feel ridiculous." He sagged down on the couch.

"Hoyt…" Sookie squirmed.

"No it's my own fault, it's fine…." He told her without looking at her. "You're right I'm just drunk. I'm just gonna go to sleep and tomorrow I'll be fine…"

Sookie started standing up. "I'll go get you a pillow and a blanket."

She hurried into her bedroom and went through her wardrobe to get the extra pillow and blanket. She returned to the living room to see Hoyt dropping his shoes and balling his socks into them. She took a moment to examine him. He looked a mix of drunk and pouty and she felt bad for him again. This whole thing was a mistake, she realized.

"Here you go…" she said softly, walking up to hand him the pillow and blanket.

"Thanks…" Hoyt took them from her without looking her in the eyes.

"Hoyt… are we OK?" she asked.

He finally looked at her, and after a moment he nodded. "Of course we are, Sook. I'll just… forgive me if I brood around you for a few days."

"Days?" Sookie arched her eyebrows. "Damn… I'm easy to get over!"

They laughed, and some of the tension dissipated momentarily. They bid each other goodnight and Sookie walked back to her room, closing the door behind her almost all the way. She slipped out of her dress and dug some shorts and a light top to wear to bed – normally she'd just sleep naked in the summer, but it was best not to tempt drunken heads tonight.

Though she was very tired, she couldn't sleep right away. She fell back on her pillow and stared at the ceiling, trying to will away the wooziness in her head, knowing she'd regret the drinking in the morning. She thought about getting up and soaking her stomach in cold water to help, but that would mean walking past a sleeping Hoyt. He was probably sleeping like a rock if the snoring was anything to go by but she wouldn't want to risk it.

So she stayed put – and thoughts of her extended family started coming to her again. Her run in with the Norris family at the town fair, her meeting her spies and finding out about Niall Brigant, all the reasons she'd drank too much in the first place. She heaved a sigh, blinking her eyes at the ceiling. Perhaps she shouldn't have closed the door on Hoyt just yet. A nice orgasm would go a long way to cure her slowly building insanity.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thank you very much for reading.**

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**9.**

August 4, 2013

After managing her hangover somewhat successfully on Sunday morning, Sookie sat down at the kitchen counter with her old laptop to try and get some work for school done. She left the TV on for some background noise, but her concentration was shit, so she switched it off angrily after a while and tossed the remote on the counter, huffing as she sagged forward, with her elbows on the counter top.

Her eyes dropped to her laptop, which was making a dreary noise, and then they flitted to the open windows. A steady wind had been going on since the middle of the night, and she could tell they would be getting more than the soft evening rain tonight. Pushing her stool back, Sookie stood and padded over to the window, peering down the street warily. She knew they _had_ to be down there somewhere – but where? She didn't see the cars.

She didn't believe for a second they would just give up because she told them to. Northman had said they were mostly watching her so others wouldn't reach her, so they weren't likely to just pack up and go because she said so – they weren't working for her.

Pulling away from the window Sookie turned back to the counter and put the laptop screen down, to shut up the awful noise and to keep it from overheating. She wasn't going to get anything done anyway. She peered into her fridge and thought about getting started on dinner early, but at the sight of her water squeeze, she had an idea.

She went into her bedroom and found a pair of sweat shorts and her old, raggedy sports bra. She threw on a tank top and pulled her hair into a high pony tail. She was going to do something she hadn't done since graduating from High School, when she had to let go of the school volleyball team. She was going to go jogging. That used to work wonders on her nerves, when she was an innocent, and knew nothing about alcohol or sex. Her P.E. teacher, the quirky, war veteran Terry Bellefleur, would always settle disputes by telling his students to "jog it off."

She had just finished tying her sneakers, which were not really jogging appropriate, when a sharp knock on her door startled her. She snapped her head up and swallowed. Had she spoken too soon? Was she about to get a visit from the people wanting to bribe her? Had Northman and his friends given up after all?

Taking a deep breath she walked over to her front door as steadily as she could, and then she leaned over to peer through her peephole.

"Oh…" she sighed and immediately opened her door, stepping back with relief etched on her face. "Ms. Cleary, hi!" she breathed out.

"Hi Sookie! How are you today? And how many times do I need to ask you to just call me Holly?" she winked at her.

Holly Cleary was her landlady – a short, blonde woman into her late forties. She owned the old row house and rented the third floor for her for a very nice price. Her Gran used to sew clothes for her, always at fair prices – she was very fond of Adele Stackhouse, and it translated into kindness. Because she grew up used to seeing Holly coming to pick up her dresses, she was used to calling her Ms. Cleary.

"Maybe one more time!" Sookie laughed. "I'm doing… great, Holly! How about you? What can I help you with?"

"I'm just great, thanks, sweetie!" Holly waved her away. "I don't want to take much of your time! I'm just here to make an invitation! Cody's birthday is coming up, next Friday the 16th? I'm throwing together a little party, having his little friends over, some of _my_ friends so I won't go insane!" she laughed. "I would _love_ for you to drop by and celebrate it with us! You know we adore you!"

"Oh!" Sookie nodded mechanically. "Yeah, jee… how, how old is he going to be?" she cleared her throat, leaning against her door.

"Sixteen…" Holly sagged meaningfully. "Can you believe it?"

Sookie laughed. "Not really… I thought he was like… five, about a minute ago."

"That's how it goes!" Holly nodded with a reminiscing expression and a sigh. "Well, it can't be helped! We're starting in the late afternoon – I know you work Fridays but there should be still plenty of party time left for you when you get back, and there will be tons of food!"

"That sounds great!" Sookie nodded. "Of course I'll come!"

"Awesome! I'm gonna go now! He has a little friend over today… a _female_ friend…" she added conspiratorially. "So I best not leave them alone too long!"

"Good idea!" Sookie nodded.

"Bye sweetie!"

Sookie waved and waited until she had gone down the stairs before she closed the door and turned around, sagging against it and letting out a huff of air. This paranoid thing wasn't fun. And now she had to think about a gift for a sixteen year old boy – great.

When she tried to remember what Jason used to like when she was sixteen, she shuddered. She was definitely not giving Cody that – even though she bet her brother would guarantee it would be the best present ever.

Not wanting to think about her brother, Sookie shook it off and strode towards her fridge, grabbed her squeeze and her watch, tossed it inside a backpack with her cell phone and left.

There was a big, mostly well groomed park not far from home – two blocks down, just across from the Baptist Church her grandmother used to attend. The elderly were taking their walks, playing their chess or walking their dogs. There were some children and a few adults – Sookie was glad there was enough space that she didn't need to engage anyone familiar in conversation.

She found a tree that was removed enough from view and stepped onto an uneven section of the trunk that allowed her to hoist herself up so she could hide her backpack among the branches and foliage. She dropped down to the ground and looked around herself, to make sure she hadn't been seen. Then she started jogging towards the paved path.

It had been a while she had done this, so she expected this would be rough – but she was willing to put up with the pain – she needed to let out her frustration somehow. Her head was too flooded with things she didn't normally have to worry about – and it was just too much.

She just wanted to get a college degree, get a better job, maybe stay in school and find something fulfilling and long-lasting that would grant her better pay and allow her to buy herself a nice house someday – maybe not in Bon Temps – maybe Shreveport, maybe New Orleans, maybe New York?

Sookie laughed at herself breathlessly. She was a dreamer. Her dreams had been the only thing keeping her going. Now her brother was in jail, and her estranged great grandfather was having her watched and some other relatives were lurking somewhere, either to pay her off or bury her in a ditch. She didn't know how to manage all that and still stay on track.

At least the jogging path was very clear, very sharp, all she had to do was follow it, and remember to breathe.

After forty minutes, she knew she had pushed herself too far and she stopped, bending forward with her hands on her knees as she panted. Her head as thumping, her lungs were screaming, but at least she wasn't thinking about anything else now. She took a moment to regain her breath and then started walking towards her tree, while feeling little spasms down the length of her legs.

The park was almost deserted now and when she heard a distant rumble, Sookie understood why. She looked up at the sky – it would rain soon. She climbed up the tree and tugged her backpack down with her, turning to lean back against the trunk as she dug inside it for her water squeeze. She chugged deeply from it and stopped to take more deep breaths before drinking again.

With her eyes closed she stayed there for a moment, just breathing, just being aware of parts of her body protesting her, and her head thumping angrily. It was when she forced herself to admit she should have gone and seen Jason. Hoyt had been right. She swallowed a sob and opened her eyes, staring into the empty park before her. She tried to hold in the stupid tears she hated so much as she mentally chastised herself for not going.

She really missed her brother right now. He could be a womanizing, dumb idiot most of the time, but he was brother – and she kind wished she had him right now.

After she managed to avoid breaking into tears, she pushed away from the tree and dumped the squeeze back into her backpack, pulling out her cell phone instead. She frowned when it said she had five missed calls – from a number she didn't recognize. For a moment her heart thumped madly, her brain tricking her into thinking it could be Jason – but of course, the area code didn't fit. It was a local number.

"Sookie Stackhouse! I thought I'd recognized you!"

Sookie looked up sharply, it took her a moment to register Amy Burley walking up to her. Behind her, in the distance, she could see a small procession of young people, probably coming through from a church meeting or something.

"Hi… Amy…" she managed after a moment.

"Hey…" Amy approached her how one does a cornered animal. Her head was tilted to the side, and the look of compassion was nearly nauseating. "I haven't had a chance to talk to you…" she said gently, touching Sookie's arm unexpectedly.

Sookie tried not to jerk her arm away, and simply arched her eyebrows. "Have you been meaning to?"

That would be weird, they'd never been more than mere acquaintances.

"Well Sookie, of course!" Amy said, dropping her hand and splaying both of them in a gesture of hopelessness. "Oh my God, to think of what you've been going through!" she pressed a hand to her chest, the look of compassion again taking over her features. "I just wanted you to know. I am here for you. _We_ are here for you!" she gestured towards the people that were disappearing in the background now. "If we had known Jason had gone down that path…" she shook her head sadly. "I wish he'd said something so we could have helped him, you know?"

Sookie batted her eyes repeatedly as she tried to maintain her composure. "Jason didn't go down any path, Amy. It's all just a huge, stupid, mistake!" Amy looked at her blankly but didn't refute her. Sookie rolled her eyes. "He doesn't do drugs, and he doesn't _cook_ meth, OK? He did it for a girl! You know him, right? _That_ you can believe?"

Amy didn't answer immediately, she looked around them uncomfortably for a moment. "Well… even then, it's all very unfortunate. And we're worried about you. We have a support group…" she reached into her bag for something and handed it over to Sookie. "It's for families of… substance abusers…" she finished carefully.

Sookie glared at her and counted till five before swiping the pamphlet from her and stuffing it into her bag. This was her life now – best get used to it. Amy smiled benevolently at her.

"Good! We'll be expecting you!" she smiled. "Can I give you a hug?" she asked, opening her arms.

"No!" Sookie snapped immediately making Amy jump back. "I mean…" she babbled quickly, thinking of what her grandmother would say. "I've been jogging I uh…I'm all sweaty and stuff…" she looked anywhere but at Amy, wanting the girl to simply disappear.

"Oh!" Amy smiled. "That's Ok!" she stepped forward and engulfed her into a hug anyway.

Sookie stopped breathing for a moment, feeling absolutely uncomfortable about it. Sighing, she placed her arms around Amy weakly and just let her do her thing.

"This too shall pass, Sookie!" Amy assured her before pulling back. "We'll be waiting for you!" she pointed at her with a smile. "You better run home, it's going to rain!" Amy said as she jogged backwards.

Sookie watched her go feeling absolutely surreal. She'd just been hugged by Amy Burley. She was angry at Jason all over again – and, finding the feeling a lot more comfortable, she slung her backpack over her shoulder, and started heading home.

Her legs were still spasming a little as she turned the corner around her street. Though they were still two hours away from sunset, everything was pretty grey right now, and the wind ruffled the cups of the trees and pushed the fallen leaves across the road noisily.

Sookie actually shuddered and wrapped her hands around her arms as she strolled up the street, her eyes settled on the three storey row house that had been her home for the last 4 years and she smiled. She couldn't wait to take off those sneakers and jump into the shower.

"Hey there Ssssooookie!"

She frowned, snapping her head to the right, but she kept on walking the minute she registered who had called out to her. From inside an old, dented, brown Honda, Felton Norris honked at her.

She looked away and just kept walking, trying not to give him the satisfaction of quickening her pace. He'd leered at her and when she ignored him, he laughed. She knew it wouldn't be so simple and she swallowed when the sound of the engine startled her from behind. She kept walking at the same pace she had been keeping since the park, but her fingers now dug into the skin of her arms a little tighter.

"No time to chat now, eh?" Felton had accelerated and screeched to a halt right next to her on the road, and Sookie regretted not walking on the sidewalk like a decent citizen. "Come ooon!" he kept driving slowly next to her.

Sookie said nothing to him and kept on walking, now shamelessly a bit faster.

"You know I feel like we got on the wrong foot on Friday!" Felton called, having no trouble keeping up with her. "Hey!" he called. "Hey!" he lunged for her arm through the window to stop her.

"Let go of me!" Sookie shrieked, trying to yank her arm away. When Felton just laughed and held tight, she clenched her teeth and shoved back with her entire body, so she forced his hand back into the car and she pulled away immediately as he laughed. "Fucker!" she kicked at his door, not caring her toe hurt like a bitch and then slapped the roof of his car. "Go back home, Felton!"

She pulled away from the car before he could react and started literally jogging away, when she looked at her house now, it looked too far away. She heard when the car engine choked and the tires screeched and her heart jolted inside her – she knew what was coming. She looked over her shoulder, her eyes widening as the car finally jerked forth after all the noise it made, Felton's eyes were on her, his lips pulled into a sneer.

Then, out of nowhere a black car pulled right across the road, in front of Felton's Honda, forcing him to step on the break immediately.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" he heard someone shouting from inside the car.

Sookie stopped, befuddled and turned fully around. Felton started shouting and gesticulating at the driver, who, she realized, happened to be the man she had busted outside her house. She drew in a breath, watching the scene unfolding before her. He was getting out of the car and apologizing – the neighbors were peeking out through their windows and Sookie slowly stepped back, her chest heaving as she forced herself to breathe.

Another screech behind her made her whip around again, this time to see the silver Chevy Volt. The passenger door sprung open and there he was – her cleft chin hero leaning across so she could see him.

"Get in, Sookie."

She didn't know if it was the tone of his voice, or the fact she was just terrified of being there right now, but she didn't think twice before she jumped into the car and pulled the door closed behind her, her eyes going immediately to the side view mirror, where she could see Felton yelling and gesticulating wildly at Northman's buddy, while he continued to apologize – some of her neighbors were now coming outside to watch.

The car started moving just as suddenly as it had stopped, pushing Sookie back against her seat – and as the scene behind them became smaller and disappeared she noticed she was still panting, and holding firmly to the cushioned seat. She glanced sideways at her rescuer, who had his eyes on the road, and a cryptic frown.

"Please, fasten your seat belt," he told her quietly without taking his eyes off the road.

"What?" she gasped.

He looked at her flittingly then, and something akin to empathy flashed through his eyes and he looked away, before repeating gently. "Your seatbelt."

"Oh!" she scrambled to get it from behind her and across her front. "Sorry…"

"Are you Ok?" he asked her after another beat.

"Yeah, I'm just peachy, thanks…" she breathed out – she kept her eyes on the road too. "Where are we going?" she asked, her mouth felt very dry.

"Well, let's say I'm taking you out to dinner," he said vaguely after a moment.

Absurd as the idea was, Sookie dropped her eyes to her attire. "I'm not dressed…" she muttered.

She saw as he glanced down her body from his peripheral and a small smile played into his lips. "We're ordering in."

"Oh…" Sookie shook her head and just kept breathing. This conversation was already too absurd to pursue it any further.

Wherever he was taking her, it was sure to be better than back there. She realized it was the third time one of Niall Brigant's people rescued her from some kind of peril and she rolled her eyes in anger.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Thank you for reading!**

* * *

**10.**

August 4, 2013

When they moved into one of the apartments across the street, the order had been to track the owners of the red Audi from Mississippi while making sure they didn't get to Sookie's door.

Behind a laptop was where Chow was at his most efficient, so, in spite of their little set back, he wasn't harshly reprimanded or fired. Niall was upset Sookie had discovered them like this, but he knew with how long they had been doing this, and with them having to intervene for her safety, it was more than likely to happen.

While Chow worked on finding the owners of that car, something new appeared on their radar. It was on Saturday night they first noticed the old Honda parked around the corner, across from the wall to the cemetery. It stood out like a sore thumb with its peeling paint and dark tinted windows. With a license plate grab they immediately discovered it belonged to Felton Norris. Eric had been across town, parked outside the bar where Sookie was hanging out with her friends when he received the call.

The news was obviously a little jarring. What good could he be doing parked there in the middle of the night when he lived in Hotshot? No good, certainly. Eric called Bobby Burnham and asked him to head down to Willow Street for possible emergencies.

Eric followed Sookie's cab from a safe distance while mentally preparing himself for what could be an ugly fight. And if Hoyt Fortenberry hadn't been in the cab with her, and hadn't followed her inside that night, they might have had a problem in their hands. But, shortly after they walked through the front door, and the lights in the third floor went out, Mr. Norris quietly drove away.

Bobby's orders were to follow the Norris boy then, and it was he who called Eric on Sunday in the late afternoon, letting him know the kid had parked himself a little further up the street. Eric had been in the hotel at the time, and he called Chow to know about Sookie. She'd gone jogging in a park two blocks away, but she seemed to be heading home already.

He thought nothing of the sudden break in her routine – he knew all about putting your body through physical stress, and he knew the girl'd had to deal with quite a bit in the last couple of days. He was just content she'd chosen such an open and public venue.

He left the hotel and got in his car and drove straight to her house, letting Chow know they might have to break a few bones and maybe dent one of their cars. He'd been less than a mile away when he heard Chow's voice loud and clear through his ear bud.

_"He's making a grab for her. I'm moving in!"_

He'd accelerated then and gotten more than a few insults thrown his way, but when he came careening down the opposite direction he knew he was right on time. He saw Chow's car shoving across the road and blocking Norris' car from hitting Sookie and he saw when she turned around and stopped to watch. As he sped towards Sookie he saw Bobby's car coming from the cemetery side.

He stopped with a screech right next to Sookie and threw his door open. He leaned across the passenger seat to get her attention, she was still in shock. She gaped at him speechlessly, looking pale and wide eyed.

"Get in, Sookie," he ordered.

She didn't question, which was perhaps a testament to how frightened she had been. She hopped in without a word and pulled the door closed, pressing her back to her seat and glancing at the side view mirror.

Eric pulled away instantly, trusting Chow and Bobby to handle this without him. He could still hear Chow in his left year, and Felton's shouting coming through as well. The kid knew a lot of colorful swearwords.

With his eyes on the road and his ear in what was still happening back there, he forced himself to address her calmly.

"Please fasten your seatbelt." He'd noticed she'd been pushed back with violence when he pulled away and he didn't want her to hurt herself.

"What?" she'd gasped at him, sounding a little out of it.

_"You see, I'm new in town! I thought I had to turn right…"_

_"ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY? CAN'T YOU READ THE FUCKING SIGN YOU FUCKING…"_

"Your seatbelt," he repeated, chancing a glance at her before looking back at the road. She was still trying to pace her breath and her large blue eyes were round and frightened.

He checked through his peripheral as she scrambled to buckle up, her hands were shaking a bit.

"Sorry…" she muttered breathlessly once she was settled.

_"YOU THINK YOU CAN COME IN HERE – WITH YOUR RICH ASS CAR AND…"_

_"Jesus Christ man, let it go!"_ he heard a completely unfamiliar voice.

_"Excuse me but you're both blocking the street…_" that was definitely Bobby.

"Are you OK?" Eric asked her at last, trying to focus on her

"Yeah, I'm just peachy, thanks. Where are we going?"

"_So all you have to do, is drive back around the cemetery, take the first right and you're on the Highway…"_ a female voice filtered through.

"_Aaaaah!_" Chow sounded really enlightened about that.

"_Good. All settled!"_ Bobby said. "_Are you OK, kid? He didn't hit your car, did he?"_

"Well, let's say I'm taking you out to dinner."

"I'm not dressed!"

"_I'm fine, I'm fine. I'm sorry man…_"

He glanced sideways, taking notice of her jogging attire and loose ponytail.

"We're ordering in." He couldn't help but smile at her very mundane concern.

"Oh…" she seemed even more puzzled by that, but she stayed quiet, her eyes flitting everywhere around the road in front of her as she seemed to be trying to process _why_ they were going to have dinner at all.

Eric tugged the ear bud off and let it drop beneath his opened collar. He had been wearing just his shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His tie and suit jacket were in his backseat. He shook his head reflexively, to get the humming out, and focused on the sounds inside the car alone.

"Has Mr. Norris ever visited you before today?" he asked as he drove.

"What?" he could see her head snapping at him from his peripheral. "Are you kidding me?"

He glanced at her briefly to register the disgust in her expression. "No. I merely wish to understand the extent of your relationship."

"There is _no_ relationship!" she snapped.

He glanced at her again, smiling at the scowl on her lips. "I am sorry I have offended you. So there was no reason for him to ever stop by and play _scare_ with you?"

"Absolutely not! What kind of detective are you anyway? Shouldn't you have known that already?" he could see her rolling her eyes with annoyance from his peripheral.

"We have only been watching you for the last three months, Miss Stackhouse."

There was silence as she absorbed that information. When he glanced back at her she was squirming a little, probably uncomfortable with the idea all over again. He knew it would also not have escaped her that three months ago was when Jason was first arrested, before his trial, before his confession and before he was sentenced.

"So if you'd ever had any sort of relationship with Felton Norris that would mean what he has been doing for the past two days is normal. Inappropriate but not alarming…"

"Two days?" she interrupted him.

He turned to face her, she was frowning. "Yes, Mr. Norris was parked outside your apartment last night. He drove off after you invited Mr. Fortenberry inside."

He saw through his peripheral as she dropped her face between her hands and threw her head back, taking a deep breath before dropping her hands. "Bless you Hoyt," she breathed.

"So… you have made an enemy for yourself," Eric concluded.

He heard her swallowing audibly. "It seems that way," she said emotionlessly. He stayed quiet and she looked at him sharply. "What? You're not gonna tell me all about how I shouldn't have confronted him at the fair? How I brought this upon myself?"

Eric glanced at her and shook his head. "What good would that do you now?"

"Tell that to Tara…" Sookie snorted glancing outside her window.

* * *

It finally started to rain – and it was heavy rain. The sound of the water battering against the car was soothing. Eric switched on the windshield wipers, and Sookie was momentarily hypnotized by their repetitive movement. Then she blinked, turning her head minimally to watch him.

He was quiet and almost statue-like as he drove, moving only the necessary, eyes on the road, sometimes they flicked over to check for a light or a safe cross-roads. She could tell from his posture and stoic expression he was deep in thought. She took that as an opportunity to perv on his car – the scent alone was fantastic. It was that new car smell, and leather. She could feel the wonderful chill of the air conditioning and smiled jealously at the thought he had it all for himself. She glanced at the dashboard curiously as she thought of her old yellow Honda, which she had sold years back, so she could get a place to live, since she couldn't possibly live in her car.

Now _this_ car? None too shabby. She glanced at the backseat and decided she could live in it for a while if she had to. She noticed the suit jacket and tie as well as a laptop case in the back seat. She looked back at her Agent Smith – her eyes trailing down his usual attire, even divested of the jacket and tie, he was still very…

She looked away when he glanced at her curiously and suppressed a smirk.

"So, where were you people in the past two days? You hid better this time…"

He arched his eyebrow at her as one who asks _did she really think he'd tell her_.

Sookie chuckled. "Look… I appreciate the A-Team for the rescue, I really do." She sighed. "I don't think much of Felton Norris' abilities, but I'm sure given the opportunity he could really have hurt me back there. But pardon me if I find the whole thing disturbing!"

"I understand," he said simply, looking back at the road. "But your safety is our concern whether you like it or not. You'd have to take it up with Niall."

Sookie sighed, staring outside again, then, finally realizing where they were headed she snapped her head around. "You brought me to your hotel?"

"Yes," Eric said as he turned to pull up at the front where the valet was already waiting with an umbrella.

Sookie gaped at him a little. "Is _he_ going to be there?"

"Niall?" he shook his head. "He's in his home in Shreveport. Though he would very much like to see you, he's not here tonight."

Sookie sighed with relief and saw as Eric signaled to someone behind her, he was probably asking for a minute to whoever was trying to get her door open.

"Regardless of your reservations, Sookie, I ask you to humor me tonight. If you're being targeted by the likes of Mr. Felton Norris, however petty a criminal he may look, he has things in his juvy record that could make your stomach turn." Sookie swallowed again. "So Niall isn't someone you think deserves your time – I respect that. Even he respects that. But he wants to help you and your brother – and given your position, I _would_ let him. I would at least _listen_ to him. And if nothing else…" his eyes dropped to her clothes again. "You'll at least let me take care of you tonight before I return you to your home. I'd like to make sure Felton's gone before I drive you back there – and we could eat."

Sookie stared at him speechlessly for a moment. She wanted to protest… _all of that_… but his words made sense… most of them. And she was really getting kind of hungry right now. She looked down at herself, tugging at her sweat short strings.

"I kinda stink though…"

He chuckled causing her to look up. "You don't… but it's a hotel… you can take a shower if you want."

With that he signaled to the person behind her again and she heard the door lock clicking.

Sookie unfastened her seatbelt and turned, staring warily at the hand that appeared before her. She took it and she was hoisted out of the car under a bright yellow umbrella.

"Good evening, Miss!"

"Uh… yeah…"

Sookie looked up at the façade of the _Bellefleur Hotel_ – she'd seen it many times, never from inside though. She thought of Terry Bellefleur, her P.E. teacher, and Andy and Portia and Caroline – who owned this hotel. People she'd seen growing up, but who'd always been above her in so many ways she felt awkward walking inside as a _guest._

She was walked into the lobby and there she stopped, looking around the plush furniture and lavish decoration. She'd once seen the interior of Caroline Bellefleur's living room at her manor. Her Gran had made a graduation dress for Portia, and she'd driven her there to deliver. The hotel lobby reminded her of that living room – it was obvious there was Caroline's personal touch to everything here.

Fortunately the lobby was deserted, except for the staff. She watched wordlessly as Eric walked up to the counter and spoke to a young, preppy looking man with a manager tag. He glanced at Sookie curiously and nodded at Mr. Northman before checking a laptop over a blonde receptionist shoulder's. There was more nodding and talking and a key passed hands before Eric turned around to see her standing still by the revolving door.

He smiled sympathetically as he strode towards her, and she noticed he had his jacket back on, but his tie was nowhere to be seen, her eyes drooped taking in the full effect of the man in a suit – it distracted her for a few seconds.

"Are you OK?" he asked her gently, taking her arm. Sookie nodded, blinking her eyes around uncomfortably again. "Come on."

As they strode past the reception counter, Sookie noticed the blonde and the manager sizing up her clothes and she looked away, not wanting to feel scrutinized right now. They made it into the waiting elevator, and when the door closed she let out a big sigh.

The elevator stopped on the third floor and Sookie blinked, glancing at Eric next to her, he nodded and gestured for her to step out, so she did. He led her to the end of the corridor, to room 305 and as he unlocked it, he smiled apologetically.

"They didn't have any vacant rooms – but I promise you I'm tidy."

Sookie gaped at him a little but nothing came out. Then the door was open and curiosity got the best of her, she angled her neck to peer inside while staying rooted to the spot.

"Go on in.." Eric said nodding inside.

Sookie stepped inside slowly, looking at everything around her. The room wasn't too big. There were two large beds, bedside tables, a desk, a chair, an armchair a mini fridge, a sizeable window with pretty nice curtains, and two doors, one she guessed was the closet and the other the bathroom. Again she could see Caroline's taste everywhere. She eyed the desk, where a charger for the laptop was placed, there was a couple of folders neatly piled next to it.

Sookie looked over her shoulder – Eric was closing the door behind him, eyeing her curiously as she examined the place.

"Isn't it a bit counter-intuitive to bring me to your Spy Headquarters?" she teased.

Eric smirked, leaning against the wall next to the closet door. "This isn't Headquarters."

"So where is it?" she narrowed her eyes and again Eric Northman gave her that look and she huffed. "Fine." She sighed and went further into the room, looking at the two beds. "Who's your roomie? The guy I busted?"

"He has his own room," Eric thrust his hands into his pockets.

"Hum…" Sookie nodded.

She walked past the beds to go and peek through the window – it was getting darker now and rain was still steady.

"What would you like to eat?" he asked behind her.

Sookie turned around to see him grabbing a menu from one of the bedside tables and then walking over to hand it to her. "The sky is the limit."

"It's on Great Grandpa's tab?" she cocked an eyebrow.

"If it bothers you it can be on my tab," he offered.

"But he _pays you_…" she reminded him.

Eric smirked again. "True."

Sookie shrugged. "I'll have a greasy cheeseburger."

"A girl after my own heart…" Eric said with exaggerated sentiment, tossing the menu on the nearest bed. "We have drinks in the mini bar and over here…" he walked towards the door she'd suspected to be the bathroom. "You can take a shower if you want."

Sookie stared longingly at the shower head, visible from where she was standing.

"Why don't you get to that…" Eric said as he walked to the desk where he sat his laptop and grabbed the folders that had been resting there, tucking them under his arm. "I'll order dinner and make a few phone calls."

"You gonna check on your boys?" she wondered.

"Yes."

"Are you going to tell me?"

"Of course…"

Sookie eyed the folders underneath his arm. "You're forgetting your laptop."

Eric smiled. "I have a password… and most of it is encrypted…" he tapped it lightly. "But you can get on and play Solitaire if you get bored waiting for me."

Sookie rolled her eyes. "Thanks."

A phone rang somewhere and her eyes dropped to Eric's jacket. She watched curiously as he dug into his pocket and checked for his phone. He cocked an eyebrow as he looked at his screen.

"Excuse me, Sookie. Please make yourself at home."

He turned around and walked out of the room. Sookie stared at the closed door for a moment and then her eyes flicked to his abandoned laptop. She stepped closer to it, worrying her lip between her teeth as her fingers tapped the wooden desk and she thought about her priorities. Finally she rolled her eyes and headed for the shower. Even if she knew what she was doing, she didn't even know what she would be looking for.


	11. Chapter 11

**11.**

August 4, 2013

Sookie switched off the shower regrettably, thinking of her poor, very inferior one back in her apartment. She pondered making a career out of snooping on people, so she could spend her days in hotel rooms with nice, huge showerheads as well. The body wash and shampoo were nice too – she had to hand it to Caroline Bellefleur, she'd done a good job.

Although, what did she know? This was the first hotel she'd ever been to. _Freemon_ didn't really count, in her opinion – it had been once, on a lunch break, with an ex. And while she was not exactly a guest here as much as a _crasher_, at least this _was_ a respectable hotel – the best in town, they said – though before tonight, she'd chalked all the talk off to the Bellefleur's own self importance. She may have been wrong.

She pushed the sliding door opened and glanced around for a towel. She saw two sets of robes and towels hanging on the side and hesitated slightly. This was going to be awkward. She tugged at the nearest robe and sniffed on the sleeve, making sure it was clean – it smelled like fabric softener and it looked unused. She dried herself and slipped into the robe, shuddering slightly at the soft, plush feel. She should _definitely_ consider a career in snooping.

She leaned over the sink to wipe at the wide mirror so she could try and make herself look presentable. She rolled up her sleeve to examine the bruising skin in the crook of her elbow – it hadn't been so bad when she was in the shower.

Her shoulders sagged as she pondered the newspaper notes about her family. _Jason Stackhouse, locked up in prison. Sookie Stackhouse, found in a ditch with dirt in her mouth_. She'd really gone and taken a leaf out of her brother's book hadn't she?

Sighing, very disappointed in herself, Sookie dropped on the rim of the bathtub behind her as she smoothed her fingers over the reddening patch of skin. She'd let her temper get the best of her, and now Felton was holding a grudge. She shouldn't have underestimated him – she just had to look at what he did to Jason.

She wasn't feeling so hot about the hotel commodities anymore, and the soreness returned to her muscles as she stared around the still foggy bathroom. She still had to get out there, hear about whatever had happened to Felton, so she could go home, or, pack up and go stay with a friend at least.

Sookie stood, dried her hair the best she could and tied it into a long braid. She picked up her clothes and stared at them – she had no other options, and no way she was going to parade in a robe around a stranger, especially a handsome one. She folded the underwear and stuffed it into her backpack though, no way she was wearing those again. The tank top was tight enough to keep things in place and she was glad she'd had the forethought of packing her tampons.

When she walked out into the room, Northman wasn't back yet, and as Sookie approached the window, she noticed the rain had stopped. She sat on the bed nearest to the window and dug out her cell phone again. No new missed calls, except for the ones she'd missed back in the park. Frowning, Sookie tried hard to think if she'd seen that number before. Whoever had been trying to call her, had _really_ wanted to talk to her if they'd tried calling five times in a row.

As she was pondering that, the door to the corridor opened and she looked up to see Eric Northman was back – behind him a bellboy wheeled inside what she hoped was food, her stomach had just grumbled loudly.

"Thank you…" Northman muttered after the boy parked the little car between the beds. He tipped him and the boy left.

Sookie frowned, following him with her eyes – she had the feeling that was Jane Bodehouse's son – she had no idea he worked here. He'd taken a peek at her too and she wondered if he even recognized her.

"Well…" Eric walked to the food cart and removed the fancy cover. "Your cheeseburger ma'am. Would you like something to drink?"

Sookie shrugged a little from her seat. "What are you having?"

"Let's see…" Eric walked over to the mini fridge and pulled it open, hunkering down in front of it. "How about a coke?"

"That's good."

She smiled at him as he handed it to her, and when he smiled back she thought he was really, definitely, too handsome for his own good. Then his eyes dropped somewhere below and the smile turned into a frown.

Sookie looked down and realized he'd spotted Felton's finger marks. She cleared her throat and folded her harm, putting it out of sight as she opened her can.

"Does that hurt?" he asked, ignoring her attempt to hide it.

"Not anymore than my thighs hurt from all the running I did earlier."

His eyes flickered to hers curiously. "Yeah, about that…" he sat down on the foot of the other bed. "Leaving your backpack up on a tree was a bit… daring." He picked up the tray with her cheeseburger and passed it over to her. "Bon appétit."

Sookie rolled her eyes and huffed. "Not if you were watching it for me!" she teased him.

Eric smirked. "I wasn't there. Chow was."

She blinked. "He was the one who cut in front of Felton."

"Yes."

Sookie nodded and dropped her eyes to her cheeseburger. She plucked a bit of the bread from around around the edges, as she always did, and popped it into her mouth. His mention of her backpack was tugging at her to say something about her missed calls.

"So uhm… can you use your… snoopy powers to trace a phone number?" she looked up at him curiously.

Eric had his mouth full, and he furrowed his brow at her as he chewed and gesticulated for her to elaborate.

"While I was at the park, there were 5 consecutive missed calls from the same number, not one I know. I just wondered… given what happened tonight…" she trailed off and then shook her head. "Never mind, I'm just over thinking this…" she took a full bite of her burger and she had to admit it was pretty good.

"Hand me your cell phone," Eric thrust up his palm once he had swallowed. Sookie looked at him dubiously and he insisted by flexing his hand at her.

Sookie reached into her backpack, which she'd dropped next to the bed, pulled out her phone and handed it over. She watched as his thumb flew over her museum-worthy phone keys – she forgot to eat. A couple minutes later he handed it back. She stared at him inquisitively.

"I texted it to Chow… he'll get a name for us."

"Ah…" Sookie put her phone away.

Eric was finished with his cheeseburger much faster, and Sookie was still chewing hers as he stood and downed the rest of his coke.

"So, Felton Norris drove away shortly after our departure. All the way back to the trailer park where he lives in Hotshot." Sookie looked up and nodded. "I have someone on him at all times, so we'll know beforehand if he ever attempts to come near you again, you're safe." He assured her, stowing his hands into his trouser pockets.

"Thanks…" Sookie looked down. "I'd say you don't have to do this… but I know that's not true." She sighed.

Eric smiled in her peripheral and then returned to his perch at the foot of the bed. "We will look out for you, yes. Niall would still very much like to meet with you and talk to you."

"And you think I should listen to him…" Sookie rolled her eyes upwards to meet his. She was taken aback when she found him leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, his eyes intent on her. It was weird to be stared at when she was eating.

"Right now, I think you _have_ to," Eric countered.

"I _have_ to?"

"Let's look at it this way. Your brother was setup to pay for a crime he didn't commit. Instead of fighting it, he chose to take the blame, for whatever reason. Now he's in prison, where he shouldn't have to be." Eric paused, taking a deep breath. "Now here you are, and you might be in serious danger of meeting a much worse fate than prison. You think what your brother did was stupid? Look at your situation and tell me what it will look like if you die because you're too proud to let Niall help you."

Sookie dropped her eyes again and made no comment. He made a fair point. Jerk.

"Fine…" she sighed. "You're right. That would be very stupid."

Eric offered her a smile. "Then I can set it up for you. I'll talk to him."

Sookie nodded and plucked another piece of her burger. "So is it safe for me to go back home now?"

"Yes, it should be. Finish your dinner and I'll drive you back."

Sookie nodded and took a bigger bite out of her food, she wanted to finish faster so she could go home. Eric stood up and there was a chirp coming from his pocket again. Sookie looked up as he checked his phone, noticing the surprised look on his face.

"Well… your desperate caller turned out to be Crystal Norris," he looked at her. "Would she try to warn you about Felton?"

Sookie shrugged. "That would have to mean she cares."

"She cares about your brother."

"True… wouldn't be the first girl to like me for my brother," she said derisively.

* * *

Eric stepped outside, leaving Sookie to finish her dinner in peace. He walked over to the fire exit and leaned against the wall.

"Pam," he said into his phone.

"_Eric what is going on?_" Pam's voice came clearly. "_Someone tried to hurt the girl?"_

"Who have you been talking to?"

"_Chow._"

"Felton Norris had been parking outside her apartment and he scared her. It might have been all he wanted to do, but we moved in and stopped it anyway. She's fine, I have her and what is best is I finally convinced her to meet with Niall."

"_Felton Norris? The kid who framed Jason Stackhouse?"_

"That's right."

"_Motherfucker! I can't tell something like this to Niall, Eric. He's 93 years old!"_

"Let's focus on the positive."

_"What about the couple Chow saw?"_

"So far they haven't returned. Chow mentioned he had names earlier this evening, but with everything that happened, I haven't looked into it yet. Please talk to Niall and text me what day and time works for him."

_"Fine. Get back to me with those names!"_

"I will."

The ride back to Willow Street was considerably quieter. Eric could tell Sookie was immersed in her thoughts and he didn't want to disturb her. She held her backpack in front of her, pressed to her body, with her chin drawn into her chest – she was being protective of herself and he understood why. He knew he hadn't asked her to do something that would be easy. But he was glad for her that she was smart enough to know it was the right thing to do.

Nobody's families were perfect, he knew his wasn't, and he understood the resentment. But truly, right now, having a family, even an estranged one, was a good thing.

Sookie sighed tiredly next to him, and she caught him watching her from his peripheral - she looked away uncomfortably – he noticed her knees turning towards her door. Eric reminded himself musing about her motives and feelings was not part of his job and, drawing a deep breath himself, he focused on the task, and on the road.

They stopped outside the row house, and before he could even get his own door open, Sookie was on the sidewalk, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. He got out anyway, and followed her up to the steps. She looked over her shoulder at him and then her eyes travelled up and down the street.

"So I assume I won't be alone?"

Eric shook his head. "Chow'll be keeping watch. And I'm a phone call away."

"_Where_ is he?" she attempted, raising an eyebrow.

Eric chuckled and shook his head. "You don't need to know where he is."

Sookie sighed. "Good night, Eric."

"So can I pick you up on Saturday morning?" he asked when she turned her back on him to unlock her door.

"What?" Sookie tossed over her shoulder, confused.

"To see Niall…"

"Oh…" Sookie hesitated. "I… yeah… sure, OK," she shrugged.

Eric nodded with a little encouraging smile. "I'll see you at ten then… good night, Sookie."

He waited for her to go inside and lock behind her, then he walked back to his car. From where he stood he glanced at the fourth floor window across the street, from where Chow spied him through the shades. They nodded at each other and Eric got back in his car.

* * *

Sookie dumped her clothes in the laundry basket, checked her reflection on the mirror and tugged at her braid. With a sigh she loosened her hair and brushed it vigorously while staring into space. Six days from now she would meet Niall Brigant – she didn't know how to feel about that. She missed Jason again, and cursed him for bringing all of this upon them. She dropped the brush on the sink, ignored the bruise on her arm, glaring at her from the mirror, and walked back into her bedroom. She pulled back her covers and slipped into bed, snuggling into her pillow as she stared across the room at the open window. It'd started raining again, and a soft breeze ruffled her curtains.

She thought about her father, and how fond he'd been of Earl Stackhouse. It wasn't that Fintan had walked out on him and Gran Adele, Fintan died before her father was born. Adele had nothing but great things to say about Fintan Brigant – but the rest of them? Not so much. A few years after they came to her door to offer compensation for her silence, Gran had finally told her and Jason, Corbett hadn't been Grandpa Earl's son by blood.

She told them about meeting young Fintan back when she was very young, she told them he'd been a good man, whom she would have married if he hadn't died so young, and Earl didn't care she was pregnant because he loved her very much. Later they had Aunt Linda, and she was definitely Earl's daughter. Yet Earl never made any distinction between them.

Jason and Sookie never pushed Gran for details. Jason didn't really like thinking about it, he'd loved Grandpa Earl. They always just assumed Fintan's family didn't care for him because he was also the son of a poor seamstress who let herself get knocked up. So they never cared about them either, they never talked about them. To them, they didn't even exist.

Years later when Sookie started seeing notes in the paper about the Brigants and their real estate empire she'd only grown more averse to the idea of ever meeting them. They hadn't cared that her father was raised by another man – that he'd had a difficult life, that his parents'd had to work themselves to the bone most of their lives. Why should she care about them in turn? Just because an old man had a change of heart?

Sookie rolled on her back and glared at the ceiling, feeling the humiliation rising up her throat. She had half a mind to get up, phone Eric and tell him to call the whole thing off. But his words to her that night immediately swatted that impulse away. For whatever reason, Eric Northman got to her, he made her listen. Perhaps that bullshit about using her first name had worked after all. She refused to admit it was his blue eyes and stupid cleft chin.


	12. Chapter 12

**12.**

August 9, 2013

After putting her phone away, Pam gave herself a minute to smile gleefully at the floor while she adjusted her pantsuit jacket. Then she looked up at the mirror, fluffed her hair, checked her lipstick and marched outside. She had to halt immediately when she found Claudine sitting on the loveseat outside, flipping through a magazine lazily. She looked up and put the magazine down the minute she saw her.

"Hello, Pam! We missed you last night!" she said pleasantly, tilting her head to the side. "Grandfather mentioned you were out celebrating your Anniversary! Congratulations!"

"Thank you, Claudine!" Pam smiled sweetly, hanging to the doorknob like a lifeline – the coward in her wanted to just go back into the powder room.

"So how long has it been for you and Amelia?"

"One year…" Pam offered reluctantly.

"Well that's sweet!" Claudine said standing up. "I would love to meet her, by the way! Maybe at the Christmas party?" she winked at her. "I think after one year, it's safe to say you'll make it that far."

Pam forced herself to laugh. "Yes, I would think so. How's Colman, by the way?" she folded her arms in front of her and smiled.

Claudine's smiled faltered just a little before she shrugged. "Well, you _know_ him… work, work work."

"Hmmhmm… Speaking of work, I haven't seen Claude today!"

Claudine sniggered. "You're so bad! He works! Sometimes."

"I'm not bad, I'm jealous!" Pam winked. "Excuse me hon, I need to pop in the kitchen for a bit."

She walked away fast, before Claudine said anything. The woman was watching her like a hawk. Claudine knew something was going on, obviously, but Pam knew Niall wasn't saying anything about Saturday. He believed in the element of surprise. If they had time to prepare for Sookie, he would have been uneasy.

Pam agreed. It was best to let them in on the news _as_ it happened. It could be a little disarming at least. Niall was in a state of nerves as it was.

It had been a miracle that there were no phone calls to interrupt her Anniversary celebrations yesterday. She suspected the reason for that, had been that Eric had opted to stay a bit longer with Niall. Niall liked Eric's presence – he kept him calm.

She was however surprised to hear Eric hadn't driven back to Bon Temps during the night. So, curious to know why, she hunted him down in the kitchen, where he sat with Bobby Burnham – a laptop and several cell phones sat on the table between them. Ms Penn was in the background, clearing up the lunch clutter and politely ignoring them.

"Gentlemen! Taking up Doris's space is rather rude!" Pam sauntered next to them.

Doris Penn looked over her shoulder, smiling at her and shaking her head. Pam winked at her before bracing a hand on the back of Eric's chair to peer into the computer screen.

"So, what are you two still doing here? Is Chow watching Sookie _and_ Felton Norris by himself?"

"I put Molly in Hotshot," Bobby explained.

"Who's Molly?" Pam frowned.

"Molly Ray is my new girl, and, no Pam, I don't mean it _that_ way!" Bobby said giving her a warning look. "She's a good kid who has done some good work for a buddy of mine in DC."

"Oh, well… give her my welcome to the team then!" Pam shrugged. "But _why_ are you still here?" she looked from Bobby to Eric curiously.

Eric leaned back against the chair to look at her as he spoke. "Chow found out where Pelt and Herveaux are staying – in a hotel here in Shreveport. Niall wants me to talk to them."

"Really?" Pam arched her eyebrows. "But are we sure they are who we think they are?"

Bobby nodded affirmatively. "We had access to their financial records, they're being currently funded by Warren Realtors, company money."

"So… Claudine's husband!" Pam nodded, unsurprised. "When will you be seeing them?"

Eric glanced at his watch. "I should get going actually."

"I'll walk you out…" Pam said stepping back to give him room. "What about you Bobby?"

"I'm heading back to Hotshot now, Pammie."

"Good! Poor Ms Penn!" she shook her head as he gathered up all his toys and Doris laughed in the background.

Pam followed Eric out to the elevators, waving at Clancy and Charlie who were watching something through the far window.

"I take it Niall doesn't want Claudine and Claude to know about this?" she asked Eric in a low voice.

"Niall knows he can't make both sides happy," Eric said pushing the button to call the elevator. "They haven't tried to contact her since Friday night – you have to wonder why." He turned to her, with his hands in his pockets.

"You think they know about her security detail," Pam deduced.

"They're staying in Shreveport instead of the only decent hotel in that little town. What do you think?"

"But the hotel is out of rooms."

"It wasn't on Friday, several people had checked out in the morning."

"Niall is pushing his grandchildren to come to him," Pam ventured.

Eric shrugged. "I'm doing what he asks."

"How's Sookie doing so far? Do you think she'll back out?"

"We haven't talked to her since Sunday, but she's going about her routine like always."

"You said she wasn't too excited about this."

"I may have had to… fear her into agreeing to come."

Pam arched an eyebrow. "Eric, how smooth!"

Eric smirked. "I just pointed out Niall could protect her from Felton Norris – he put her brother in jail and he doesn't seem to like her either."

"How is that fucker doing?"

"He hasn't done anything at all. He was probably acting on impulse, a wounded pride… maybe he got high and it just went away."

Pam sighed. "Let's hope."

The elevator opened behind him and Eric squeezed her arm gently before going inside.

"Did you girls have fun last night?" he asked.

"We did, thank you!" Pam smiled. "Amelia said she misses our family dinners! We should fix that. Maybe the week after the next?" she added hopefully.

"That would be best…" Eric leaned back against the wall.

Pam smiled sympathetically and let go of the door so it would slide closed. "Later, brother."

* * *

A half hour later Eric sat at one of the secluded booths in the Reeman Hotel Bar. He leaned back against the plush, cushioned seat and loosened his tie as he watched the waiter walking across the hall towards the bar where Debbie Pelt and her associate, Alcide Herveaux were seated.

The couple looked up with a start when they were offered the glasses of wine and then they looked over at him. He could tell they immediately knew who he was as they exchanged concerned looks. Nevertheless, they stood as confidently as they could and walked over, carrying their glasses with them.

"Miss Pelt, Mr. Herveaux… thank you for joining me."

Debbie Pelt smiled. "And… you are?"

"Oh, I think you know who I am!" Eric smiled back. "I think you know who I work for and that my job is to prevent you two from doing yours. I think because you know that, you have been bidding your time, possibly hiring a third party to keep tabs on me and my team." Eric reached into his jacket pocket and dumped on the table three smashed microphone devices. "I'd apologize for the damage, but I speak from experience when I say this is some really cheap shit."

He watched as the two tried to school their features as they exchanged another long look.

Amateurs. Chow had practically laughed when he spotted the first in the apartment on Willow Street. Whoever did the job was terrible at it. His hotel room was clean, fortunately – it would have been embarrassing otherwise, since he'd had Sookie in there.

"I'll save you from embarrassing yourselves any further…" Eric leaned forward, with his elbows on the table as they squirmed in their seats. "Here's a message to your boss… from Niall Brigant: stay away from her. Do not attempt to talk her, bribe her, do certainly not attempt to harm her. He puts family above everything but he does not forgive criminals – blood related or not. And in case your boss has forgotten the hit they put on Corbett Stackhouse, I assure you… Mr. Brigant did not." Eric smiled. "But then again, that was before your time. They were lucky Mr. Stackhouse survived his… hunting accident - or they would have been paying you two from the penitentiary today."

He watched as Debbie Pelt and Alcide Herveaux exchanged another long, cryptic look and moved to get out of their seats leaving their courtesy wine behind.

Eric watched them leaving, gesticulating and talking to each other as they strode away. He downed his shot of vodka and signaled for the waiter. Mission accomplished.

* * *

Sookie opened her locker and started unbuttoning her uniform shirt, tuning out the gossip behind her during the shift change. She yawned as she folded her _Grab It Kwik_ blue shirt and put it back in her locker. She grabbed her purse and sat down on the bench to loosen her braid.

"Hey girl!" Tara called her tiredly as she returned from the bathroom and plunked down the bench next to her. "Ready to go?"

"I don't know… I'm thinking about just napping right here on this bench," Sookie said yawning again.

"Rough week?" Tara cocked her head to the side as she watched her.

"No, I just haven't been sleeping much…" she shrugged combing her fingers through her hair lazily.

"Mmm," Tara nodded. "Getting a lot of action from the mysterious gentleman in room 305?"

Sookie froze. With her fingers still trapped in the knots of her hair, she turned her head to her best friend sharply. Tara looked back at her expectantly.

"What are you talking about?" Sookie whispered, looking around them to make sure no one else was listening in.

"Jane Bodehouse's son saw you!" Tara rolled her eyes. "She just came to me to ask who he is and if he is the reason you dumped Hoyt!" Tara shook her head incredulously at her. "Sookie seriously? Are you fucking some married man in the _Bellefleur Hotel_?"

"He's not married!" Sookie blurted with a snort.

Tara gasped. "So there is a man!"

Sookie sighed and closed her eyes, already hearing the other gasps from the girls who'd overheard her. "Thanks a lot Tara…" she muttered as she stood up.

"You go Sookie!" Maudette giggled. "From Hoyt to whom now?"

"Sookie, I didn't know you were a player!" chirped Mary Beth from the Pet Store. "Who is it _now_? Another older man?"

"HEY! Mind your own business!" Tara sprung to her feet and turned on them.

"What? I'm just kidding!" Mary Beth squealed unconvincingly.

Sookie rolled her eyes and grabbed her purse, she didn't bother going into the bathroom to freshen up, she just marched out, ignoring Jane Bodehouse's _see you tomorrow, Sookie!_

"Oh, what's with her?" she heard the woman wonder out loud as she left.

"Sookie! Sookie wait!"

She ignored Tara too. She wasn't really mad at _her_, but she didn't want to do this here, or now. She was tired, she hadn't slept all week thinking about tomorrow, and now _this_?

It had been a while anyone had rubbed it in on her about her fiasco of a relationship with her former boss Sam Merlotte. It wasn't that she didn't like to admit to it, it was the implied judgment behind Mary Beth's allegedly innocent question. _Another_ older man – seriously. She could go fuck herself.

"Sook! Come _on_!"

She finally stopped and turned around, but only because they were finally outside on the street, and there was no one around to listen in – well, no one who wasn't being paid to do it anyway. She uncomfortably looked around, hoping wherever they were, they couldn't exactly _hear_ them.

"I'm sorry about that back there!" Tara panted as she caught up. "I was just so shocked I didn't think about the other girls being there! I'm sorry!" she said honestly. "I was just… I worry when you don't tell me stuff… we _always_ tell each other stuff and usually when we don't, it's because we're doing something we shouldn't. Like last time I didn't tell you I was seeing Mickey again!" she rolled her eyes to herself.

Sookie sighed, adjusting the strap of her purse. "Is that why you assumed he was married?"

Tara flushed and nodded. "So… he's not?" she asked hopefully.

Sookie froze again. Because, as much as she wanted to say no and carry on, she couldn't. What exactly could she say anyway? She hadn't planned to tell Tara all about how she's really the great granddaughter of this really obnoxiously wealthy real estate mogul in Shreveport. She really didn't want to say Eric was someone paid to watch her and protect her from other relatives who probably wanted to do some bad shit to her. And really, could she even attest to Eric Northman's single status? The absence of a ring didn't prove it. She just didn't know. And she wasn't _fucking_ him anyway – so why defend herself at all?

"Sookie?" Tara asked worriedly when she stayed silent too long.

She also didn't want to straight out lie to Tara. She sighed deeply.

"I don't know, honestly…" that much was true.

"Oh my God, Sookie!" Tara grabbed her arm. "When Hoyt came telling me you kind of blew him off I thought you just didn't want to lead him on…"

"I _don't_ want to lead him on!" Sookie stated.

"So it has nothing to do with this man who may or may not be married?" Tara cocked an eyebrow dubiously.

Sookie breathed through her nose, staring at the bus she'd just missed with longing. She didn't know what to do.

"Look, T," Sookie hooked her arm through Tara's so they could start walking. "I promise you I'm not doing anything I shouldn't. I'm _not_ sleeping with this man Jane Bodehouse's son saw me with…"

"So you _weren't_ in his room?" Tara questioned.

Sookie thought for a moment. No lies. "I was. But I'm not sleeping with him. It's nothing like that. I don't even know him." Tara arched her eyebrow again. "I'm going to need you to be very understanding right now… because I can't talk about this. Just trust me you have nothing to worry about. I'm not banging some married man, or, blowing nice boys off for dangerous guys from out of town, OK? Can you be OK with that for now?"

Tara looked _really_ concerned now. "You're scaring me, Sookie. Is this about Jason? Oh my God is this about those people from Hotshot? Oh my God did Crystal's family do something to you? Oh my God, Sookie, I _told_ you not to provoke them!"

Sookie winced – that part was more close to home, but even then, she couldn't talk about _that_ without getting into the stuff she didn't want to talk about.

"Tara I need you to stop asking questions I can't answer…"

"OK…" Tara stopped, eyeing her warily. "I can't stop being worried though…"

"Don't be… I'm fine."

They walked in silence for a bit longer.

"Wait… when did you start seeing Mickey again?" Sookie turned to her.

Tara was the once to wince this time. "Ugh, it was last year. Sorry I never told you."

"Oh, so you stopped?" Sookie asked hopefully.

"Yep."

"Phew!"

"I know!" Tara laughed. "You know everyone at _Grab It Kwik_ is going to start saying you're banging a married man now, right? Even without my slip, Jane would have taken it upon herself to spread the rumor."

"Yeah…"

"I'll set them straight," Tara said.

"What will you tell them?"

"That he's not married."

"Oh… but I'm still banging him?"

"Is he handsome?"

"Well… yeah… disturbingly so!" Sookie snorted.

"Then yeah, you're totally banging him."

They laughed for a good minute, before they both had to run because Sookie saw another bus coming up.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Thank you for reading. I own nothing.**

* * *

**13.**

August 10, 2013

Sookie stopped in front of her bed, holding her towel to her chest as she stared down at the outfit she'd picked to wear. She worried her bottom lip between her teeth and flexed her toes as she swayed nervously thinking about her choice.

Obviously, she had nothing appropriate for lunch in a rich relative's home, unless of course, she was the one serving the meal. But this was a dress she held dear, her Gran made it for her, and she wasn't sure she wanted to ruin it by wearing it to meet up with that man. But it was certainly her best dress, the least worn and the most appropriate.

It was made for church and special occasions. It was something a bit more romantic than she'd wear nowadays, but that was Gran's taste. It was navy blue with cute cap sleeves, a high waist and pleated collar and skirt – it hugged her tight around the chest but showed no cleavage.

Sighing, Sookie tugged the towel away and grabbed her newest bra and underwear set. She put on some moisturizer on her body since she had no fancy perfume. She put on the dress, taking notice it was tighter fit than it used to be when she was 19 - but thanks to the high waist it still flared out nicely. She squirmed a little when she looked at herself in the mirror – the girl looking back at her wasn't her anymore, but _she _would have to do for today.

After wasting precious time trying to decide what to do with her hair, Sookie realized it was stupid to doll herself up even more to be somewhere she didn't even want to be in, with people she didn't want to be with. So she just brushed it until it was tamed and soft and the only reason she wore any makeup at all was she didn't want them to think she was a slouch on top of being a country bumpkin.

When she realized how much thought she had been putting on what they would think about her she felt herself flushing down to her toes – and she grabbed at her hair and grunted miserably.

This was ridiculous, she wasn't going. She'd go to Sheriff Dearborn on Monday and press charges against Felton Norris for harassment if she had to, but she wouldn't humiliate herself like this out of fear!

She was about to put her shoes away before even stepping on them when there were three knocks on her door and she halted, with her heart jumping to her throat and her eyes flying to her alarm clock beside her bed. It was 10 o' clock on the dot.

What was he? British?

Standing in her bedroom with her best heels dangling from her fingers she looked in the direction of her living room with a mixture of irritation and, astonishingly, excitement. But only because she knew standing at the other side of the door was the man she was fucking-not-fucking. Her fictional sex-life was really quite exciting, she decided. With her luck, Holly had seen him coming through the door and soon the entire town would be talking about how she was entertaining an outsider in her apartment as well as in his hotel room.

She half-walked half-hopped towards her door and simultaneously wrestled her feet into her shoes. There were three more knocks before she made it there without falling on her face. Huffing with a sigh, she self-consciously smoothed her dress and hair before yanking the door open with a glare.

She'd wanted to say something snippy, to show him how she didn't appreciate his showing up right on time, even if she knew that was ridiculous. But that intent died out in her throat as she registered the little flutter in her stomach at the sight of the man standing there, in another dark, fitted suit, lean, tall and smelling as good as she dreamt he could feel. Her eyes trailed over him out of their own accord, and when she finally reached his dark blues, they were occupied raking over her body in turn, his eyelids drooping as he did so, causing the flutter in the pit of her stomach to liquefy.

When they did finally seize each other's eyes, for a split second he looked almost intimidating. But a moment it was there, and the next he was blinking, smiling politely as he re-did the front button on his suit jacket.

Sookie stood there, holding to her door, running her tongue between her suddenly dry lips and swallowing the nervous lump lodged in her throat. She batted her eyes to clear the effect he was having on her and cleared her throat.

"I'm sorry, I didn't expect you to be so… punctual…" she didn't recognize her voice, and she wanted to slap herself.

"Niall is very anxious, he made me leave early," Eric spoke at last, though his eyes were again travelling over her body. "You look lovely."

Sookie shrugged. "Thanks, but this is not really me."

He smiled. "Doubtful."

The assumption irritated her just a tad.

"Just because you know where I go and what time and with who, it doesn't mean you know me!" OK, maybe more than a tad.

Eric arched his eyebrows, slanting his head slightly. He looked neither chastised nor offended. His eyes flittered around for a moment before he conceded with a shrug. "Very well – then you look deceitfully lovely. I'm sorry, I have to be nice to you - it's in my contract."

Knowing he was just humoring her, Sookie couldn't contain herself, she snorted and laughed, secretly delighted when he smiled right along with her.

"I'll give your boss a favorable report."

Eric nodded with mock-gratitude. "Thank you, you're very kind."

Now that the tension had broken, he looked behind her into the apartment curiously before checking his watch. "Are you just about ready?"

Sookie sagged, holding to the door, as if using it as a shield for herself. "I uh… actually…" he stared back at her silently and she sighed. "I'll go grab my purse…" She turned around, leaving him to stand in her doorway.

She dug out the one purse she had that could go with that dress, she stowed her documents inside and what money she had, just in case she decided to bail out and she needed a bus ticket back home.

She followed Eric downstairs and outside. He had parked just out front. He held the door open for her and she hesitated for a second, until he threw her a curious look and she shook it off, getting inside the car.

It was very _odd_ to have people opening doors for her, she wasn't used it. Sam had done it - but only in special occasions, since, because she worked for him, he had to treat her like the other waitresses in public. And there was never a lot of _special_ with them. No time for special. Except that one time in that cheap hotel, and the one official date before that. Hoyt had tried to open doors for her, but she'd started giving him the eye, so he stopped.

The weird thing was Eric had no reason to be gentlemanly with her, other than it was his job, and maybe what he had been brought up to do. That's what threw her. He wasn't doing it to get into her pants. She wasn't used to guys being nice to her without expecting something in return. It was strange. Uncomfortably strange even. She was frowning hard at the dashboard as she contemplated this, so she never saw him getting in the car, or the funny look he gave her as he took in her expression.

"Are you alright?"

Sookie sat back and forced herself to smile politely. "Yep!"

Except for the part where she really didn't want to do this.

"Seatbelt," he reminded her as he started the car.

"Right…" Sookie turned to get herself buckled up.

They had been driving for maybe ten minutes when Sookie started to relax and actually stare out the window. She saw the people outside, some of whom she had known since she was a kid – not everybody naturally – Bon Temps had grown significantly in the two last decades, but she would still see a lot of familiar faces, and she was thankful for the tinted windows.

She eyed Eric through her peripheral – he'd offered to turn on the radio for her and so they'd had that for noise and it made her more comfortable that she didn't have to talk at first. But now, she was actually itching to talk to him, and she smirked as she thought of something.

"So the townsfolk think I'm your dirty secret… just thought I should tell you."

Eric looked away from the road for a moment, confusion in his eyes before he actually understood what she meant. "Oh?" he looked back to the road.

"The bellboy… he knows me… he's the son of this woman I've known my entire life, Jane Bodehouse. She's this… crazy, former A.A. member who now works at _Grab It Kwik_ as an assistant to the accountants…" she cleared her throat, noticing Eric's frown deepening as he nodded and tried to keep up. "He saw me in your hotel room, and he made the most… well I wouldn't say the most logical leap… just the most entertaining one for gossiping purposes…"

"That we're sleeping together." Eric surmised.

"Yep…" Sookie nodded. "You're not married are you?" She eyed his hand again, and there was still no ring.

"No," he answered curtly.

"Well good… I'd hate to be a home wrecker."

Eric actually chuckled and Sookie felt a little happy flutter at the fact she could make him laugh.

"I forget what small towns are like," Eric said with a reminiscing tone.

Sookie narrowed her eyes curiously. "I thought you were from New York?"

"I lived in Morrice, outside New Orleans, for a year."

"Against your will?" Sookie joked – as far as she knew Morrice was practically a ghost town, full of hippies and retirees.

Eric laughed again, his eyes still up front. "You could say that…" he paused. "I'm sorry this has happened. I wouldn't want to cause problems for you. I obviously wasn't thinking."

Sookie shrugged. "I've had worst things said about me than this." She hadn't meant to sound so self-deprecating when she said it, but Eric's side-glance at her, made her want to smack her forehead. She rushed to find something else to say.

"I hope I haven't caused problems for you and your…" Eric trailed off, tapping his fingers on the wheel as though trying to find the right words.

"Yeah…?" Sookie frowned curiously.

"Boyfriend…" he finished uncertainly.

Sookie suppressed a groan. "Hoyt?"

"Yes?" Eric arched an eyebrow.

"No, you have caused no problems there," she answered vaguely, becoming annoyed by the path the conversation was taking.

It reminded her these people had been watching her, prying into her life, for months, _months_. She leaned her elbow on the window and dropped her forehead against her knuckles. As she mulled over the whole thing yet again, she remembered the first time she met Eric, the night she was mugged after work, the night she'd been carrying pregnancy tests in her purse. She could feel her skin flushing everywhere, and she stole a glance at him. He sat silently next to her, staring stoically ahead. Oh dear God, had he told Niall Brigant she was pregnant or something?

"How's your arm?" he asked suddenly.

"What?" she muttered, snapping out of her inner monologue.

"Your arm…" Eric glanced sideways down at her, jerking his chin to indicate her arm.

Sookie glanced down at it and brushed her fingers over the fainted finger prints. "It's better…"

She had to get creative with makeup so people at work wouldn't see it. It was awful because she was self-conscious all the time, and she had been bending her elbow strangely all day. But by Tuesday, it had started to fade, and now it was barely noticeable.

"Felton Norris hasn't left Hotshot since that night," Eric informed her after a moment. "For what it's worth, I don't think he's coming back to bother you."

"Thanks…" Sookie smiled a little.

She hoped so – she hoped he'd given up, that his anger at her had cooled off. She knew now that she shouldn't have provoked his anger that night at the fair. Truthfully, she'd been going at Crystal, not him, but the minute he arrived she just got worse – because she knew the truth – she knew Felton had framed her brother. She had to wonder if Felton knew that – would Crystal have told him? She didn't want to think about it. She hoped he stayed in Hotshot and forgot she existed.

After Eric told her it had been Crystal trying to call her that day, she'd been tempted to call her back and find out what it was about. But in the end she decided to wait and see if she'd call her again – she never did. She hoped it was another sure sign Felton had decided to leave her be.

"So have you always done this, Eric?" Sookie decided to change the subject, to put him on the spot for a change.

"This?" he glanced at her. "No."

"What did you do before?"

He eyed her for a moment, and when he answered he had his eyes back on the road. "I was a cop."

"Huh…" Sookie mused. "I guess that makes sense. What made you quit to be a professional snooper?"

"I didn't quit. And what I am is Brigant's Chief of Security."

"Still a snooper," she countered.

Eric smirked. "Fair enough."

Sookie grinned, looking at the road as well. "You didn't answer my question though."

"No, I didn't," he agreed.

Sookie glared at his profile, but he ignored her. "You didn't quit, so that means you got fired. Why did you get fired?"

"I didn't say I got fired either," he gave her another evasive answer.

Sookie snorted and looked away, folding her arms under her chest "Fine. I don't care that much." Eric smiled in her peripheral.

They elapsed into silence again, with just the radio to fill the air between them. As they got closer to Shreveport, Sookie started to squirm in her seat, and fidget.

"Nervous?" Eric asked her gently.

"No… just… " she shook her head. "It's not really your business."

She looked out the window again, turning her whole body away from him. To his credit, Eric said nothing else. Right now she didn't like him very much He spied on her which he had no right to do, but then evaded her questions about him, swatting her away as though she was a fly, and then pretended to care she was nervous? Fuck him. Fuck him and this whole fucking trap she was walking into.

"Here we are," was the first thing he said since then, almost forty minutes later, when they pulled up in front of a tall, modern looking building surrounded by trees and greenery.

Sookie batted her eyes distracted, she had been sulking, with her head against the window, and she looked up to take notice. The large bronze plate said they were at _Brigant Park IV_. She took a deep breath. The man named the building after himself… and there were at least four of them!

"Are you ready?"

The gentleness in his voice was disarming, and Sookie looked at him over her shoulder, uncertainly. She realized she didn't have a reason to be angry with him. He wasn't her friend really – he owed her nothing. He was just being paid to do this, and to be polite. In the end it wasn't him she was really mad at. It was the whole situation she found herself in – and Jason – she was definitely mad at Jason.

"Doesn't matter whether I am or not, does it?" she tossed back grabbing for the door handle, getting ready to step outside and face the music.

"Sookie…"

He grasped her hand that had been resting on her thigh, surprising her. She jerked back, looking at him, then down at their hands, and arched an eyebrow questioningly.

"First… we don't need to get out of the car yet… second… yes it _does_ matter whether you're ready or not," Eric said gently. He let go of her hand, and sat back. "Even now, if you tell me to drive you back, I will. It's up to you. I guarantee you Niall is prepared for that possibility. If you don't want to go up there, you don't have to."

Sookie looked at him as though he'd grown two heads. "Eric, I came all the way here… I'm going in."

"Very well…"

They moved on to the parking lot and Sookie started preparing herself mentally for the encounter.

She really didn't take the time to admire her surroundings, to notice the architecture, the décor, the pompously uniformed staff, the art pieces in the lobby. It was only after they'd gotten into the elevator that she seemed to snap out of the trance she'd put herself into. Inside the elevator though, it was as if he doors shut and woke her up. She looked up at the floor indicator and swallowed audibly.

Eric stood behind her quietly. She almost wanted to turn around and start bantering with him just to feel better, but she couldn't force herself to.

"Which floor…?" she asked just to fill the silence.

"Penthouse floor."

"Of course…" she breathed.

She was enveloped by such a surreal feeling during the trip to the top floor, she kept counting the floors and taking deep breaths, wringing her hands in front of her. This was too strange. She'd never imagined she'd be here, she never thought of this side of the family as real people, they were like a distant concept, like fiction – like the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus and the Boogey Man – they were never supposed to become real!

And then there was a loud ding and she gasped, startling herself as she doors slid open. The first thing she saw were two men in dark suits, flanking large double doors in a well lit lobby.

She blinked her eyes at them as they watched her back, exchanging a flitting glance between them.

Eric stepped close behind her, and she felt his hand gently touching the small of her back, his thumb brushed her skin through the fabric of her dress and she knew he was trying to comfort her. Despite her conflicted feelings about his role in all this, she couldn't help but look over her shoulder up at him, seeking more of it.

He didn't smile, and she appreciated it. It would have been condescending to try and smile at her now. But his eyes were gentle and his presence soothing. She took a deep breath and allowed him to lead her out of the elevator and into the foyer. She hadn't walked more than five steps when the double doors burst open, making her halt and her heart leap into her mouth.

Out strode a tall, blonde woman with clicking high heels, clad in a black pantsuit, white crisp shirt and some really audacious jewelry. She stopped in front of them, her eyes doing a quick sweep of her before settling her very bright, pale blue eyes on her own. Sookie's eyes were drawn to her lips – she didn't know many women who could wear red lipstick like that.

"Well, there she is!" the woman said in a disarmingly warm, welcoming voice and a clear British accent. "I'm Pam Ravenscroft, Mr. Brigant's Personal Assistant, it's very nice to finally meet you!"

Sookie's eyes dropped to the hand she was being offered to shake with a little jerk. Her brain seemed to be working in little flips and jolts now. She forced herself to step forward and shake her hand, remembering to look her in the eyes as she did it. The woman smiled at her as though impressed and then took a step back to survey her a bit more blatantly. Sookie forced herself not to self-consciously smooth anything. If she didn't like what she saw, it would be her problem.

"I love your shoes!" Pam Ravenscroft said unexpectedly.

Sookie arched her eyebrows. "Thanks…" She knew there was absolutely nothing special about her three-year-old black pumps.

Pam then looked up at Eric behind her, and there was a certain mischief in her eyes as she smiled at him.

"You're coming in too, of course?"

Sookie looked over her shoulder at him sharply, to see what would his answer be. It never occurred to her he could _not_ be coming inside with her. Of course, it made sense he wouldn't stay if he was security, he could just wait outside – but she felt suddenly naked at the prospect of not having _him_ there. He was the closest thing she had to a friend in this place!

He wasn't touching her anymore, and he'd stayed back while she stepped up to shake Pam's hand, and he suddenly felt way too distant, and she was starting to hyperventilate. Then, Eric's eyes finally dropped to hers, and, though he hesitated, he returned them to Pam's before he nodded.

"I'll come."

"Good!"

Sookie knew he could see her relief and she looked away quickly, to face the tall, blonde lady again. But she was already turning around, strutting back inside while the two gentlemen held the doors open for her.

His hand enveloped her shoulder now, and she looked up at him, surprised, as he stood next to her.

"Pam is cool – she'll look after you always. When I'm not around," he told her as he walked her inside.

"Oh…" she breathed and then nodded. "OK…"

She was suddenly being steered left an she again went into a trance state, unable to see and admire anything around her – somewhere in the back of her head, Pam Ravenscroft's clicking heels kept her going in the right direction, and the warmth of Eric's hand on her shoulder, kept her on her feet.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Thank you for reading. They're not mine.**

* * *

**14.**

August 10, 2013

She didn't really see things around her at first. She knew she was in a study because that Pam person said so – and a few moments passed in which curtains were opened and she followed Eric with her eyes as he moved to stand at the back of the room, with his back to a wall. The P.A. woman was still saying things as she went about the room and made more light come in from windows – but all Sookie heard were hustling sounds - until she heard a huff in front of her, and she finally turned away from Eric to face her again.

Pam Ravenscroft tucked a stray strand of hair back as she smiled at her patiently.

"Sookie, would you like something to drink?" she offered in what seemed to be the last sentence in a long stream of breathless jabber. "Iced tea? Lemonade? Gin?" she offered as Sookie just stared back at her.

"Uh…" she finally shook herself out of her stupor and shook her head, clearing her throat. "No, thanks." When Ms Ravenscroft stared at her and cocked an eyebrow she quickly added. "I'm fine."

The woman let out a little polite huff, and her be-suited shoulders sagged momentarily before she nodded with a cordial smile, the bobbing of her head causing more of her very thick, blonde hair to flail around her.

"Very well! Niall will be with you shortly. Please sit down…" she pointed at the love seat nearest to a set of beautiful French windows that opened into some sort of patio.

Sookie stared at the lavish, plush cushions and finally took in some of her surroundings with a little breathless _oh_. When she looked back up at the woman, she was looking at her a little exasperatedly. Sookie forced a polite smile and a short nod as she moved to take a seat at the very edge of the loveseat.

The woman fidgeted as she watched her, her bracelets and rings making little noises that drew her eyes to the woman's jewelry again. Sookie admired them discreetly before raising her eyes to the woman's face again. She smiled back at her and then tossed an inquisitive glance at Eric, at the other end of the room.

"I… will be waiting to talk to you outside."

Sookie flicked her eyes over to him discreetly, and watched as he nodded silently at the blonde woman. She flicked her eyes back to her as she nodded in return, satisfied.

"Well, I take my leave! Again, it's a pleasure to meet you, Sookie!"

Sookie followed her with her eyes as she clickety clacked her way out and closed the door behind her. The room was silent and empty, aside from herself and Eric – her eyes went to him immediately, but she said nothing.

She was afraid to.

She was afraid her voice would crack, she was afraid she'd demonstrate just how nervous she was. But Eric seemed to know regardless. He didn't offer her the encouraging, sympathetic smiles Ms Ravenscroft offered her – probably because, unlike Brigant's P.A., Eric knew her a little now, and knew it would just piss her off. But he made eye contact, and he looked confident in her.

Sookie looked away from him and noticed her hands were shaking upon her thighs, so she rubbed then together for a moment while staring at a spot on the rich rug beneath her feet. Sighing, she stood up abruptly from her perch and turned towards the French windows behind the loveseat. Looking for something to distract herself with.

Her eyes took in the size of the patio outside, and she suppressed a whistle. She could see some of the cityscape from where she stood and realized she was a little out of breath. Was she suddenly afraid of heights?

"Who's the little girl?" she blurted out without thinking when she spotted a brown-haired girl in her early teens sauntering across the patio, with her eyes and hands on what looked like a tablet.

"That's Claudia. She's Niall's great granddaughter as well." Eric answered without leaving his spot across the room.

"Oh…" Sookie kept her eyes on the girl until she disappeared on the other side.

She couldn't really look at the little girl and think of her as someone she was related to. It was too strange. She immediately thought of her only cousin, Hadley and sighed. She hadn't seen her since High School. They had been real close – the type to hang out together everywhere, have sleeping parties, share clothes and secrets. She felt a little pang in her chest at the thought of her and sighed, turning away from the window, to frown at random objects in the room as she walked from side to side.

"Why is he taking so long?" she asked after two minutes of staring at an oil painting above the fireplace right on the wall Eric had been standing against. She had her arms folded across her chest and she angled her body towards him, to see him checking his watch.

"Maybe he's nervous," and here Eric smiled a little, as if the idea was slightly amusing to him.

Sookie arched her eyebrows at him curiously – and just as she was about to ask him more, she heard the doorknob jiggling and the door opening. Her stomach dropped simultaneously with her arms and she whirled around to face the doorway.

She didn't quite know what she had been expecting. She never looked up pictures of the man – and whenever she'd seen notes about him in the papers, there were usually group pictures and she never wasted time trying to figure out which one was him. She knew he should be quite old, over ninety, but that was where her expectations ended.

Standing there by the door was a man taller than she had expected, not quite gigantic-tall, like his Chief of Security, but taller than average. He had pale, wrinkly skin and crystal blue eyes and abundant silvery white hair on his head, like a halo – and Sookie was shocked to realize she was staring at what her father would have looked like if he had been lucky to live half as long as his grandfather.

She twitched her nose as she stood there, taking in the rest of him while secretly telling herself it was true what they said about obnoxiously rich men and their eccentric hairdos. Niall Brigant obviously qualified. He wore a nicely tailored grey suit that really made his eyes stand out. Eyes that studied her as intently as she had been studying him.

Having finished her own appraisal of him, and finding herself the object of his scrutiny, she felt instantly self-conscious. She didn't know what to do with her hands, so she folded them in front of her and cast a quick, desperate look sideways at Eric, who quietly watched the two of them. Pam Ravenscroft stood at the door, behind Brigant, doing pretty much the same.

"Thank you for waiting with her Eric, you may go…"

Sookie snapped her head back at the man, surprised by his voice – it reminded her of her father's too, and it was strange to hear it. She was so distracted, it was only after Eric walked past him and followed Ms Ravenscroft outside, closing the door behind them, that she realized she was completely alone with the man. Her eyes darted around the room uncomfortably. He was still staring at her, as if he'd never seen anything like her before – it was unnerving.

"You look like your Grandmother," Niall stated, with something like smile to his lips. "But you have Fintan's dark blue eyes."

She fidgeted in her place, staring down at her hands. She knew she looked like Gran Adele – she'd taken great pride in looking like her. She had been an extraordinarily strong woman – and beautiful enough to attract two very distinct gentlemen. She had never met Fintan, and Gran had not kept pictures out of respect for Grandpa Earl, but she had heard she had his eyes before.

"I'm sorry… I have been waiting to meet you for a long time…"

Sookie looked up, surprised by the crack in his voice. She frowned when she noticed wetness gathering in his eyes. All things that came up to her brain sounded snippy. Why did he wait 23 years? Why now? Where were he when her father died? Where were he when her father was born?

They were all very hurtful things she wanted to say, and she found that, in spite of her resentment, she couldn't quite say them yet. She couldn't quite say _anything_.

"Oh, I'm so very sorry…" he suddenly seemed to remember himself. "I haven't even introduced myself! I'm… Sookie, I'm Niall Brigant," he strode to her with more vigor than she would have expected from a man his age. "Welcome to my home. Thank you, thank you so very much for agreeing to speak with me." He grasped her hands before she could even blink and gripped them tightly. "I understand there has been some threat to your security and I am glad my staff was able to help you. Have you been well after your confrontation with Mr. Norris?"

Sookie just gaped at him, aware of his warm hands engulfing hers, aware that he was very close, that she could feel his body heat, smell his cologne, see the dark specks in the light blues of his eyes. He was right there and he was speaking to her and she couldn't get a single word out!

"Would you perhaps like to sit down?" Niall offered a bit more calmly, as he dropped her hands and took a step back, perhaps realizing he was overwhelming her.

Sookie shook her head, searching for something to say. "I prefer standing."

I prefer standing.

She had chosen to say I prefer standing. She dropped her eyes to the floor just so she wouldn't roll them at herself. This is really not how she'd imagined this. She'd imagined she would have all sorts of things to say to him, confrontational things, hurtful things, even mean things. She didn't expect she would be disarmed by his advanced age, or his likeness to her dear father.

Never be rude to the elderly, her Gran had taught her. Not even an elderly Niall Brigant?

"Pamela mentioned you didn't accept anything to drink when you arrived? Would you like something to drink now? It's such a hot day!" Niall laughed pleasantly. Choosing to stand there as well.

"No… thanks." She took a deep breath. "Why don't you just… tell me why I'm here?"

Niall nodded, something like deep sadness settling in his features – his blue eyes danced over her face as he bought some time.

"You are here because I would very much like to get to know you. You and your brother Jason… sadly he's in prison now, but I'm hoping we can remedy that soon."

Sookie held her breath as she digested that. "Is this about how Jason's imprisonment affects your reputation? Does anyone even know we're related? I would think that would never be a problem."

Niall's eyes dropped at that, and he looked resigned by her judgment. When he raised his eyes again, he attempted a pacifying smile.

"No, my dear, it has nothing to do with my reputation. I understand why you would think that, of course… but it's not the reason I have searched you out."

"Why then?"

Niall looked at her for a long moment – and Sookie blinked, becoming nervous again – she did her best to hold his gaze, to not look away like a little wounded girl.

"Regret," Niall said finally. And his voice sounded a lot different then – a lot older, a lot sadder – it was like the air around him shifted, became heavier. Sookie's own shoulders sagged with their weight, her eyes locked with his as she waited for him to continue. "Regret and remorse… things that come along with old age and this pesky, bothersome thing called wisdom…" Niall continued dropping his eyes to somewhere between them – he heaved a deep sight. "It never comes when we really need them…" he looked back at her – despite his words there was no humor in his tone of voice, no expectations that she would find him amusing or funny – he was sincere. "I have a lot of regrets, Sookie. It's a miracle I'm able to stand…" here he chuckled a little. "What I have done to you and your family is inexcusable… and it costs me much, every day."

"It can't have cost you more than it did my Grandmother," Sookie rebated icily. Some of her earlier reservations about being kind to the old man in the room dissipating in light of her own outrage for his self-deprecating and selfish speech.

"No, I don't imagine it has…" Niall sighed, his eyes dropping again. "She lost a great deal, as I understand. But we both lost my son."

Sookie sighed impatiently. "If this is about some dying wish for forgiveness…"

"I would be elated to have your forgiveness," Niall nodded. "But you don't have to forgive me. I don't expect forgiveness from you or from Jason. I certainly never entertained that Adele would have forgiven me either. I didn't call you here expecting that once you heard my side of the story you would take pity on me and forgive me." He paused, waiting for her to digest it all.

"Whatever comes of this meeting, whether there will be others, whether you will or will not want to be a part of my life, what I want… is to give you what you deserve. And above all I want you to understand I know I have wronged you, your brother, your father, your grandmother - and my own son. Because of convention and old prejudices I turned my back on him and I refused to acknowledge Adele and her baby once my son was gone. My wife and I were angry – we blamed her for the loss of our only boy… when we came to, it was too late. It doesn't diminish any the horribleness of what we'd done." He made another pause, this time to breathe. "And perhaps you're right… perhaps it is a dying man's wish that you forgive me. But what I want is for you to know… I know we have wronged all of you, and I am deeply, deeply sorry."

Sookie batted her eyes repeatedly, knowing the tears that were threatening to fall were tears of anger. But she controlled them, she didn't allow them to fall. Sookie Stackhouse doesn't cry. She wouldn't cry now – not in front of this man.

She breathed through her nose as she scrutinized him before her. "So… this meeting is actually about you and making yourself feel better."

Niall smiled unexpectedly, narrowing his eyes at her with a nod. "In a sense, inexcusably, yes…" his eyes rolled up as he seemed to think about it. "Perhaps mostly."

Sookie snorted, she couldn't help herself. And perhaps she hated herself a little for it. She'd allowed herself to sympathize with him that very moment.

"The people you really should apologize to are no longer alive, Mr. Brigant," Sookie said with a shrug. "You didn't… wrong _me_ or my brother." She shook her head vehemently. "We had a wonderful life!" she couldn't help but smile. "We had loving, hard-working parents. It's true they died young… both of them, but they were wonderful parents. And Gran Adele was…" she smiled just remembering her. "She was incredible. She raised us, she took care of us, all after having lost a husband, her son, her daughter-in-law… she braced through it all and she finished what they started." Sookie shrugged. "We didn't have much… but we have never felt wronged by you, Mr. Brigant. You just never existed to us. You didn't matter."

And she knew that was the most hurtful thing she could have said – but from the bottom of her heart, it was just the truth.

"It only hurts me that you hurt people I loved very much. But you have not wronged me." She sighed, looking around the room. "I appreciate that you seem to care for our safety and well being… I certainly appreciate your staff's interference when it comes to Felton Norris… but I fail to see how helping us will atone for what you've done to people who are already dead."

Niall nodded slowly. "You are right about that, of course. I can never take back what I did to my son, and I can never earn his forgiveness, or Adele's, or your father's…" he looked at her hopefully. "And I deeply regret that I didn't exist for you… I would like, very much, to fix that." When Sookie hesitated, he continued. "I understand I am asking you too much. And I don't expect you to say yes, right away. But I beg you to accept at least what is rightfully yours and your brother's… which is my assistance, with anything you need. Be it… protection from harm… or help with your brother's… false confession problem."

Sookie shifted uncertainly. "I'm not sure you can help him with that, sir. It wasn't a forced confession."

"I know… Eric told me everything…." Niall nodded. "But I have a very good lawyer… and I am a very influential man…" he smiled a little, for the first time, a little smugly. "Let at least once the Brigant name do some _good_ for one of you."

Sookie chewed her lip for a moment, her eyes going all over the room. "Can you really help him?"

"Yes, I believe I can," Niall said confidently.

Sookie sighed. "What if it means poking some trouble with a family of meth dealers in Hotshot?"

Niall shrugged. "Small fish criminals aren't a problem for me."

"I bet they aren't…" Sookie arched her eyebrows. "And you really want to do all this because… because you care?"

"I do care. Perhaps… it's all too little, too late. But I do."

The hour that followed was less intense. Niall finally managed to get Sookie to sit down, and explained to her about how his lawyer, Desmond Cataliades had returned recently from abroad and was already looking into Jason's case.

He told Sookie about his other relatives. He told her besides Fintan, he'd had a daughter named Marie, who married Augustus Crane. He had two other grandchildren, Claudine and Claude, they were twins. And Claudine had a 13-year-old daughter named Claudia. Sookie nodded, remembering she'd seen the girl earlier. Though Niall said he wanted Sookie to meet them, he said it was up to her when it would happen. Sookie asked if they knew about her, and he said, they'd been told she would be here today, and had been asked to give them some privacy.

Niall wanted Sookie to stay for lunch, but she refused, much to his disappointment. But he didn't insist, understanding he couldn't push her.

"Before you leave, there's something I want to show you," Niall said, standing up from next to her and walking to the large, beautifully ornate mahogany desk at the opposite end of the room. He looked into some drawers and retrieved something, coming to sit down next to her on the couch. He handed her a very old photograph and her breath hitched. "This is Fintan, and here's your Gran Adele…"

Sookie couldn't help the tears flooding her eyes now, and she blinked repeatedly to get rid of them. She was looking at her Gran, when she couldn't have been older than 20 herself, in a maid uniform on somebody's lawn. She was in the background of the picture, arranging something on a table. On the forefront stood who she could only guess was Fintan Brigant, he looked some like her father, though her father looked even more like Niall. He had his arm around a woman, who she guessed would have been his sister, she looked like Niall too.

"Did your grandmother ever tell you how they met?" Niall asked. Sookie shook her head, still enthralled by the picture. "She was part of the waitressing team at a great party in the old country club…" Niall chuckled. "She didn't work there regularly, as I understand."

"She was a seamstress…" Sookie nodded. "She worked from home, making clothes for people who came to her…" she shook her head. "She never told me about this."

"It was only one summer, I think…" Niall said, his expression that of someone with many memories. "Fintan was going through a phase… he was a rebel… we thought he was doing it do defy us…"

"What was wrong with my grandmother?" Sookie snapped at him defensively.

"Well…" Niall sighed regrettably. "Nothing other than her position, of course." He looked contrite. "We lived different days… parents had more control over their children's affairs… there was a lot of conventions, a lot of rules… I will admit my wife had a greatest dislike for her than I did… but it doesn't excuse my attitude towards her either…" he looked at the picture in Sookie's hand again. "By the time we realized our mistake and wanted to make amends… Adele was too proud to let us in."

"She didn't owe you anything!" Sookie defended her again.

"No… she didn't…" Niall sighed. "You can keep the picture if you want…"

Sookie stared at the picture feeling conflicted. Did she want to keep it? It was a piece of her grandmother's history that was completely strange to her. Somehow it bothered her and she shook her head vehemently, returning it to Niall.

"Thanks but I… I don't want it."

Niall seemed surprised, hurt even, but he nodded, and took it back.

"I would like to go home now…"

"Of course… I… we can talk about lunch some other day then? When you can meet the others?"

"Yeah…" Sookie stood from the couch where they were seated, abruptly. "Just… not today, OK? I… uh… this was already… plenty of _new_ for me."

Niall nodded, standing up as well. "Of course…"

Sookie marched to the French windows again to gather herself, quickly dabbing at her eyes to make sure there wasn't a trace of moisture there. She heard it as Niall walked towards the door and pulled it open. She heard muffled voices outside as she calmed herself. She just wished she could go home now, not her apartment, but home, where Gran would be waiting in the kitchen, and they could sit down and talk. She would really like to talk to Gran about all this – but she was gone.


	15. Chapter 15

**15.**

August 10, 2013

They had been on the road for perhaps twenty minutes. Eric's side glances at her were not imperceptible, but she did the best to ignore him. She had been doing well until now.

"You can relax, OK? I'm not about to have a melt down!" she snapped, without looking away from her window.

Eric had no answer to that, so she just sighed and shook her head. She focused on the landscape and in the passing cars while she tried to force her brain to stop thinking about the last couple of hours.

Sookie didn't handle emotions well. Not extreme emotions anyway. Since her pre-teens when she lost her father to a massive heart attack, she started having temper tantrums her mother didn't know what to do about. In school, it was Terry Bellefleur, the P.E. teacher, who helped her direct her bottled up emotions into sports – it was how she got so good at volleyball. Then her mother went ahead and died too, when she was fifteen, after struggling with cancer for two years.

She got tired of having her friends roll their eyes at her with impatience when they caught her crying and sniffling in corners. She was tired of _you have to be strongs_ and _you have to stop cryings_ and _people die, life goes ons_ and other platitudes. She was sixteen when she told herself she wouldn't cry anymore – not even alone in her room, not even with Hadley or Tara.

I fact, the last time she ever cried, was when Aunt Linda and Hadley moved to Chicago, where Aunt Linda's new husband lived.

So she was angry today when her eyes watered up with all the intense feelings she told Niall she didn't have. Extreme emotions she wasn't supposed to be experiencing because none of that mattered. And Jason should be home, and not in prison. None of this would be happening if her stupid brother hadn't gotten himself arrested.

"Are you hungry?" Eric asked after another stretch of silence.

Sookie didn't really feel anything but nauseated, so she shook her head, staring at the road without really seeing anything.

"You should eat."

"Are you here to guard me or to be my babysitter?"

"Maybe I'm just hungry and trying to get you to eat so _I _can eat."

Sookie looked over her shoulder at him with a furrowed brow. "What, they didn't feed you in there?" she teased.

"I was standing outside the study the whole time, in case you needed me… for a surprise escape," he winked at her sideways, keeping his focus mostly on the road.

Ugh. Sookie's sneer melted and she felt a little bad about it.

"Oh… You didn't have to do that…"

But it made her feel better that he had done it.

"I guess we could eat…" she shrugged.

"Now you're just humoring me," Eric teased her.

"I know _me_ – so hear me out – _seize_ the day," she deadpanned.

He turned to her, and the grin he gave her was absolutely _thrilling_. It gave her such joy to make him smile like that she immediately grinned back at him – her body, that had been angled towards the window the whole trip so far, turned slightly towards him now, as she felt a pleasant warmth spreading through her. Even her stomach felt better, less nauseous.

They weren't far from the nearest roadside gas station and restaurant so they pulled into the parking lot and split to go to the bathrooms first. Sookie was actually relieved to have a few moments for herself, away from her babysitter's eyes.

The moment she saw her reflection in her old dress, with the now windswept hair and melting makeup she shuddered. At least it had been the heat to melt it off, and not rivers of silly tears. She went into a stall to relieve herself and left to wash her hands, face and neck. She pulled a couple tissues from her purse, wet them under the water a bit and proceeded to remove what was left of her makeup. When she looked clean again she tossed the tissues in the trash and pulled a comb through her hair before walking out.

Eric was pacing a few feet away, in front of the door into the restaurant – he was on the phone, so Sookie slowed down to give him a few moments' privacy. Her eyes trailed over him helplessly – taking note of the missing tie and jacket, the rolled up sleeves, the top button undone, showing just a peek of a very tanned, very gorgeous collarbone. She shuddered involuntarily, and trapped her bottom lip between her teeth as she slowed down even more, her eyes going down to his feet, to watch them as he paced lazily, just because feet were such an innocuous, harmless thing – but even the way he moved got to her and she sagged against the wall, letting out a hopeless sigh.

She was attracted to him. And she was annoyed by him. Very conflicting things, and she frowned, pondering that for a bit, while his voice was in the background of her mind, just a hum since she couldn't make out his words from where she stood. She quickly looked up into his face, frowning to herself. If only he wasn't here to spy on her and babysit her, maybe she'd like him more? Oh, who was she kidding, as if a guy like him would end up in her town for any other reason. As if he would just show up at _Grab It Kwik_ one day, shopping for fabric softener and mac & cheese and they could meet like that! Never.

"Ready to eat?"

Sookie jerked her eyes up at his face, to see he'd ended his call, and was smiling at her as he pocketed his phone. She shook her head, telling herself to get her shit together.

"Yep…" she pushed away from the wall. "I'm actually starving now."

"Good. They have a great steak dish," Eric said as he held the door open for her and waited for her to go on in first.

"Oh, you eat here a lot?" she asked curiously as she squeezed past him.

"Well, I have been doing this trip very often." he smirked at her.

"Right…" Sookie chuckled over her shoulder at him before turning to look inside the restaurant.

They found a quiet table by one of the large open windows that gave them a good view of the road, and the distant clutters of the nearest towns. Their drinks came in fast and they thanked the waiter before taking large sips from their pineapple & mint juice. It was one of the most refreshing flavors Sookie'd ever had, and she took a mental note to look up recipes online.

"So why a hybrid car?" Sookie asked out of the blue, since she could see Eric's silver Chevy Volt from the window.

Eric had been checking something on his phone, and he looked up curiously before he smiled. "Company car."

"So Niall's choice?" she asked.

Eric thought for a moment. "Pam's choice. She's married to an environmentalist."

"Oh!" Sookie nodded. "She seems nice." She folded her arms on top of the table.

"I would agree but I'd be terribly biased," he had a distant smile as he put his phone away.

"Why's that?" Sookie asked curiously.

"She's my sister. Well, step-sister."

Sookie's eyes widened. "Well! Look at that. Personal information _volunteered_ by you! I must be doing something right!"

"You're letting me feed," Eric teased back.

Sookie laughed, a deep, belly-laugh she hadn't seen coming. She shook her head and snorted as she tried to control herself.

"I'm sorry… I wasn't aware I was starving you back there…"

Eric shook his head dismissively. "Boys are just dramatic about their food."

"I know. I have a brother…" Sookie said distantly, as she started toying with the salt shaker.

She bit her tongue and regretted bringing up Jason in such a light hearted moment. She didn't want to think about him now. She quickly searched her brain for something else to talk about.

"Oh… speaking of boys!" she quipped lightly. "I have to pick a present for my landlady's son – his birthday's on Friday. Any suggestions?"

Eric sat back, throwing a arm over the back of the chair next to him distracting Sookie briefly as she followed the length of his muscular, tanned arm. She quickly averted her eyes, waiting for his input.

"How old is he?"

"He's going to be sixteen!" she returned her eyes to his.

Eric looked thoughtful for about two seconds, before he smiled, his eyes dropping to the table as he reached for his glass. "Does he own a video game?"

"Yeah… a PS 3, I think."

"Buy him one of those trendy zombie games. Trust me. He'll love it." He smiled distantly before taking a sip.

"Oh…" Sookie thought for a moment. "OK. Thanks."

The waiter showed up carrying their food and the talk died for a bit while they dug into their food.

"You were right, this is delicious," Sookie said after careful consideration.

The meat just melted in her mouth and the fries were crispy and salty just the way she liked them. Considering she'd barely eaten at breakfast because of how nervous she was, it was the first time she was eating anything of substance today, and she was glad it was something this good.

"It is pretty good – for road food," Eric agreed. "Still not as good as that big bar & grill in your town," he said as he finished cutting the last of his steak.

Sookie paused, with her fork held in front of her mouth. "Merlotte's?"

"That's it!" Eric snapped his fingers. "I couldn't remember the name. That's the one."

Sookie nodded as she popped the meat into her mouth and chewed slowly.

"Chow took me there after my first week of eating only at the hotel, so maybe I was just happy to be eating somewhere else. But it was good."

"Oh it _is_ good," Sookie conceded. "They have Lafayette."

"Who's that?" Eric asked curiously.

"The cook," Sookie kept her eyes on her food. "And the Bellefleurs have been trying to bribe him into coming to their hotel for years… but he's too loyal to Sam. So you're not wrong about his food being better."

"And Sam is…?"

"Sam Merlotte – he owns that bar."

Sookie took a large sip from her juice as she pondered the possibility his investigation into her past could have included Sam. But, remembering he said they'd been watching her for the last three months only, she felt a little relieved.

At that moment, a loud, rowdy group of teens burst in through the front door, attracting everyone else's attention. They settled down after they were shown their table. Sookie was thankful for the distraction, it spared them from keeping on the subject of Merlotte's – with the recent speculation about her love life, starting with Jane Bodehouse, she didn't want to get into _that_ part of the past, not even in her own head.

"So we go back to things as they were. I keep going about my day and you guys try to pretend I don't know you're there following me around."

Eric watched her quietly for a moment, a cryptic expression on his face. "The main reason we had kept close watch… well, it's mostly taken care of. We still need to be careful. But I don't expect we'll be shadowing you for much longer."

Sookie was surprised. "Are we talking about Felton Norris or the people who want to offer me money?"

"Well… both. We'll definitely keep an eye on Mr. Norris for an indeterminate amount of time. As for the others, I've made contact and I've explained matters to them. They know better than to try and contact you."

Sookie narrowed her eyes. "But I don't get it. Who's paying these people? Niall's relatives? The grandchildren he wants me to meet so much?" she cocked an eyebrow. "Why would he want us to meet if they've been trying to buy me off?"

Eric sighed, looking conflicted. "I'm not the one who should be talking to you about this. But I think it is Niall's perception that this action is coming from his extended family – by extended I mean the relatives by marriage."

"Like Claudine Crane's husband…or her own father?" Sookie suggested.

"Yes…" Eric still looked uncomfortable discussing this with her. "Next time you meet him, you should ask him about them…"

Sookie nodded. "OK. I will… but… how do you know they've given up?"

"I didn't say they've given up. But you've met with Niall now – their initial purpose has lost its validity."

Sookie looked at what was left of her food and felt full. "So… this little friendship of ours should be coming to an end, eh?" she said to lighten the mood.

Eric smirked back at her, but it was short lived, and the uncertain expression was back on his face – but he said nothing. Sookie wanted to prod him for something, but right then the waiter returned to ask them if they needed something, and Eric asked for the check.

The rest of the ride home was made mostly in silence, with only the radio to fill the air. Sookie found a country music station she liked and earned a curious glare from her driver. She smirked at him, daring him to make a comment, but he didn't.

It was close to five in the afternoon when they pulled up in front of the row house and the engine went off and the radio went quiet.

"Well…" Sookie looked over at her companion. "I guess here's where I wish you a good week…"

"Right back at you," Eric returned with a smile. "And get that kid a zombie game… he'll love it."

Sookie snorted. "I will."

She started unbuckling herself when she heard Eric's door opening and she looked up to see him jogging in front of the car to get to her door. Sookie rolled her eyes but just threw her legs over to the sidewalk when he held it open for her.

"You know… this won't help the rumors…" Sookie said as she stood next to him on the sidewalk.

Eric blinked at her at a loss for a moment, and then he smiled when he remembered what she was referring to.

"Maybe they'll start saying I'm just your driver now."

"I should have been in the back seat then," she countered.

"We'll remember that next time," he promised her.

Sookie snorted and stepped out of the way so he could shut the door. She didn't wait for him to say anything more and just jogged up the steps to unlock her door.

"Give me your phone."

She looked over her shoulder curiously to see him standing at the foot of the steps, holding his palm up for her. She reached into her purse to retrieve her phone and placed it on his hand with a raised eyebrow. She watched as he worked the tiny buttons with his too-big fingers and then handed it back to her.

"My number's in there now. So is Chow's… if you ever need us."

She took the phone back, surprised. "Thanks…" she looked down at her little screen – it said Eric N. before the screen went black. "I'll assume you have mine." He just smiled back. "OK… bye Eric."

"Take care, Sookie…" he said as he stepped backwards to his car, he smiled again before turning around completely, to jog around the front of his car again.

Sookie sighed as she followed him, with her eyes on his backside – deciding he had a really nice one too.

Sookie jogged up her stairs and went into her apartment quickly. She put on some music, to drown out the silence that was very likely to make sure she was immerse in thoughts about today – something she didn't want to get into anymore. She kicked off her pumps and wiggled her toes happily. She tugged her dress over her head and tossed it in the hamper and turned on the water for a bath and plugged her tub. Soaking for a while with loud music in the background was what she needed.

After her nice bubble bath and a dose of Shania Twain, she dragged herself off the tub and slipped into her robe before falling flat on her stomach on the bed while speed-dialing Tara.

"_Hey girl!_" Tara answered in her typical I-have-had-a-bit-to-drink voice.

"Hey you! Where are you today?"

Being the daughter of an alcoholic, it wasn't often you'd catch Tara Thornton with a glass in hand.

"_I'm at Dawn and Quinn's barbecue_!"

"Who's Quinn?" Sookie frowned.

"_Remember last week, we saw Dawn in a lip-lock at the fair? That's Quinn. John Quinn. He's just moved in, and he has a nice, nice backyard and pool… and he can grill things."_

"And you should probably stop drinking…" Sookie snorted. "You're talking funny already."

"**_You're_**_ talking funny!_"

"Yeah…"

"_Tell her to come over!"_ she heard Dawn's distant voice through the phone.

"_You heard that, girl?"_

"I heard that."

"_So get your ass over here. You __**might**__ be able to pry this Margarita from my hands if you're here!_" she snorted.

"Who else is there?" Sookie asked.

"_Everyone._"

"That's a lot of people. I don't think I wanna come."

"_Bitch, shut up and get your sweet ass over here!_"

Sookie sighed. If anything, she better go to quite literally pry that Margarita from Tara's hands now anyway. "I'm coming over. But we leave early. I have studying to do tomorrow."

"_Fine with me. Just get here so I can gossip about Dawn with someone who isn't Dawn!"_

"What about all the other people there?"

"_All the other people here are talking about you dumping Hoyt for the outsider in a suit."_

Sookie rolled her eyes. "And that's supposed to make me wanna come over? I didn't _dump_ Hoyt, we weren't together! People need to get their facts straight."

"_That ain't what Maxine was telling everybody!_" Tara snorted.

"You know what, I really don't think I'm coming…" Sookie decided. She didn't need that. Not today.

"_D'you want __**me**__ to come over_?" Tara offered, sounding suddenly a little sober.

"Well… yeah… I'd love that actually… We could make pizza from scratch and watch a movie. You could sleep over! I'll wear my jammies for you!"

Tara snorted. "_You better, I ain't staying with you unless you have clothes on girl._"

"Deal. Just don't drive."

"_I don't have a car."_

"Another good reason you shouldn't drive."

"_Oh fuck you!_"

"Just get over here!" Sookie laughed before hanging up.


	16. Chapter 16

**16.**

August 16, 2013

Sookie tried her best to look upbeat when Holly Cleary opened the door for her on Friday night. She even squealed happily when she was welcomed with a wave of female squees and yays – it had been a knee-jerk reaction, social convention says if people squee and yay at you, you gotta do it back – she'd been conditioned to do it – even if she had no idea who she was squee-ing at. And she was thankful she'd remembered to shower first when Holly engulfed her in a hug.

She was pulled straight into the kitchen, where Holly's girlfriends were – they were all Holly's age, but Sookie knew them all the same. Two of them were even older and had been her teachers in High School. She said her hellos and tried to find Cody – he was in the living room with his friends, boys and girls. She gave him his birthday gift – he seemed to enjoy it a lot. She'd gone and taken Eric Northman's advice and got him a PS3 game about zombies and apocalypse or something along those lines. Cody corrected her though, saying they weren't zombies, they were _infected_. Sookie shrugged and didn't argue – they looked like zombies to her, whatever he wanted to call them.

She was tired as hell – she'd taken two double shifts this week, for the extra money. Meaning she lost two mornings and had to cram all the studying evenly between what was left of the other three. She'd gone jogging again on Sunday, and her legs were still mad at her about it – but that only made her want to keep doing it.

On Wednesday she got an unexpected call. Pam Ravenscroft, Niall's P.A., called her around dinner time to ask if she would be more comfortable having lunch with Niall somewhere in Bon Temps. On Thursday there was a text from Ms Ravenscroft – they had reservations at the _Bellefleur Hotel_ restaurant – Eric would be picking her up around noon.

She hadn't _really_ thought this through, she realized. She would be _in Bon Temps_, with _Niall_. Yes, they'd be in the restaurant but it was never just out-of-towners eating there – townsfolk would be there too. She didn't want to be seen with him. She had endured the gossip about her and Eric for a week now because how likely were they to believe she _wasn't_ just having sex with an outsider, but meeting with her long-lost great-grandfather who _wasn't_ a Stackhouse and, who was also kind of stinking rich? Not likely at all.

People would think she was just crazy on top of being a slut. They'd probably use both and Crazy Slut would be her epitaph.

But then, being tired as she was, she remembered she didn't give a shit what people said and or thought about her. If she did, she wouldn't have done half the shit she'd done in life. No. No matter how annoying it was to know people were saying bad stuff about her behind her back, even after she said she was _not_ having sex with anyone in the hotel, they didn't matter. They _shouldn't_ matter anyway. She had been exercising that notion for years now – it _shouldn't_ matter – that's how she carried on. So it was fine, no matter, she'd meet up with great gramps in the hotel because yes, it was better than going to Shreveport, to his big, fancy penthouse. She'd feel better at the _Bellefleur Hotel_ restaurant – even if that too was a bit fancier than she was used to. And she'd just ignore whatever people made of what they saw. It wasn't their business anyway.

So she had her excuse for not staying long at the party, she had a lunch meeting and she had to sleep. The party was still going as she climbed the stairs to the third floor, and she could still hear the music, and the loud laughter as she wriggled out of her clothes and landed flat on her stomach on top of the bed – she fell asleep almost instantly.

* * *

August 17, 2013

Somehow, in her brain, she figured just a minute had passed and the party was still going down stairs when the loud knocking forced her awake. She moaned and squeezed her eyes shut tight as she tried to process _why_ those pesky kids would be banging on _her_ door. She had no surprise punch, and she had no more video games. With her fingers she tried reaching out for a pillow to cover her head with, because someone was flashing a light in her eyes and that was just _rude_.

KOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

"Oh for Christ…" Sookie pushed herself onto her arms and through the slits of her eyes she realized it was morning, and the light being flashed on her face was just the sun coming through the window. "…sakes…" she sagged.

She could swear she'd slept five minutes tops! She hated nights like that.

"_SOOKIE ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"_

She frowned, throwing her head around to glance at her doorway. Had she just heard Tara's voice? What had her panties in a twist?

"_SOOKIE?_"

Hoyt?

She scrambled out of bed and searched blindly for her cotton robe. She threw it on and padded across the house while tying the sash to her waist. They were knocking again just before she unlocked the door and yanked it opened, completely confused.

"What the fuck guys?" she asked them croakily – seeing them, not quite too well – her eyes felt swollen and like she was staring at them out of slits.

Tara and Hoyt stood on the other side of the door, gaping at her speechlessly for a moment. They heard a door opening somewhere downstairs before Holly shouted at them asking what was wrong.

"Sorry Ms. Cleary!" Tara shouted back. "We couldn't get Sookie!"

"_Is she OK?_" Holly shouted from the stairs.

"Are you OK?" Tara squinted back at her with concern.

"I'm fine…" Sookie shrugged.

"She's fine!" Hoyt shouted at Holly over his shoulder.

"Just… get in here…" Sookie waved them in before she turned around and walked straight to the kitchen so she could get the coffee going. "What are you guys doing here so early anyway?"

"It's… eleven-thirty in the morning, Sook…" Tara said warily as she followed her. "Were you sleeping?"

"Eleven-thirty?" Sookie looked over her shoulder at her dubiously. "That can't be… and, of course I was!" she turned back to her coffee maker. "Why do you think it took me so long to get the door?"

"Well… maybe you had someone over…" Tara said in a whisper behind her.

Sookie set the coffee to brew and turned around to glare at her friend, noticing she had whispered the last bit because Hoyt was walking up to them, having locked the door for her. Sookie rolled her eyes.

"I don't usually sleep this late… or like this…" she frowned and cleared her throat, which felt a bit scratchy. "I don't think I moved at all, all night…" she mused as she scratched the side of the head, to find a lot of knotted hair there. She tugged at it and groaned – obviously she must have tossed and turned a lot to cause that. She wouldn't dare look in a mirror right now. "What the hell does Holly put in that fruit punch?"

"Why were you and Holly drinking punch together?" Tara made a face.

"It was Cody's birthday party…" Sookie braced her hands on the counter. "_Eleven-thirty_?"

"Yeah…" Tara confirmed. "You… should go to the bathroom… get yourself together. I'll watch your coffee… we'll wait for you…"

"OK…" Sookie pulled away from the counter. "Excuse me."

She left them alone in the kitchenette and padded back into her room and then into her bathroom. The moment she saw the state of her hair in the mirror, she knew she needed a shower. She put the water to run and got to brushing her teeth first. She put the robe back on after she dried herself and walked back out to see Tara pouring her a mug of coffee and Hoyt pulling a stool up for her.

"Drink up," Tara nodded at the mug.

"Thanks…" she eyed the two of them a little more awake now. "So, what are you two doing here?"

"I… just… Hoyt asked me to come with him so…" Tara gestured at their friend awkwardly.

Sookie rolled her head towards Hoyt heavily, waiting for him to speak. Hoyt reached into his jeans' pocket and dug out a set of keys on a billiard ball key chain she _knew_ should be familiar to her.

"It's… the keys to Jason's house…" he put them on the counter in front of her. "I had them since… I had to take some stuff there the last time…" he trailed off. "I thought you'd want them back… for… cleaning and stuff."

"Oh…" Sookie gasped, her eyes opening just a bit wider as she reached out to put her hands over the keys. "Yeah I… forgot you had them… thanks…" she forgot about her coffee as she started playing with them lazily, her eyes getting distant.

"Do you want us to come with you?" Tara offered gently. "When you… go see it?"

Sookie thought for a moment, furrowing her brow as she stared at the dangling 8-ball chain. She shook her head. "No, it's cool."

"Because if you want us to…"

"I said it's cool, Tara…" Sookie insisted.

She looked up to offer her friend a placating smile. "I don't know when I'll go anyway." She'd probably go today now that she thought of it, but Tara and Hoyt needn't know that – she didn't want them both hovering around her as though Jason had died and she could burst into tears at any second. "I'll need ten more of these…" she said before sipping more of her coffee.

"We should go out!" Tara suggested animatedly. "Get some lunch?" she looked between them hopefully.

"Sure, we can do that!" Hoyt said immediately.

Sookie eyed the both of them, feeling like she'd have to smack them or something.

"Let's go find something to wear shall we?" Tara said, looking at her pointedly.

"I'm… drinking coffee…" Sookie whined tiredly.

"Bring it with you!" Tara growled at her between clenched teeth.

Sookie stared at her at a loss, Tara was giving her _the look_ – the look meant to say she should _get it_, but she didn't. Either way she did as she was told and she got off the stool and led the way back into her room, her lips sealed around the mug the whole time.

She turned and sat on her bed, and arched her eyebrows at Tara as she walked in behind her and closed the door.

"Care to share, baby-bear?" Sookie snorted over the rim of her mug.

"I just wanted to get you _in_ here!" Tara gesticulated exasperatedly. "Are you OK? You look like shit!"

"Thanks…" Sookie pouted at her. "I'm… I don't… I slept through the morning, I worked two full days this week, I turned in two important essays, I don't _know_…"

Tara sighed, satisfied, and moved to sit down next to her on the bed. "OK. Well then maybe sleeping late was good for you. Go easy today…" she patted her knee. "After we take you out to lunch anyway!" she winked. "I'll help you… what do you want to wear?" she bounced off the bed to go to her wardrobe.

Tara's movement made Sookie spill a little coffee and she quickly wiped her chin. "I don't care…"

There were three faint knocks, muffled because of the closed bedroom door – obviously they were coming from the front door. The two friends stared at each other.

"Are you waiting for someone?" Tara frowned at her.

Sookie gaped back at her for a moment as she tried to remember. Yes, yes, she was waiting for someone, wasn't she?

"What time is it now?" she gasped looking around for her alarm clock.

"Twelve-thirteen…" Tara answered.

"Shit!"

Sookie darted to her feet and yanked her bedroom door opened, trying not to spill her coffee as she jogged across her living room. She stopped right in the middle just as she saw Hoyt at the door, holding it open, and Eric right in front of him. The two men stared curiously at each other. She heard Tara gasping behind her – and that denounced their presence, causing Hoyt and Eric to look over at them.

It wasn't often you'd see two giraffe-men in the same place – it had an interesting effect, in which it made her entryway look inadequately small. They were the same height and for a split second she wondered what it was like for them to be able to look another person in the eye for a change.

Then she remembered the situation she was in and she blinked. Hoyt looked between them with a frown, she could feel Tara asking her a million silent questions next to her as her eyes flitted between her visitor and herself. Eric looked from one to the other quietly, probably grasping the delicate moment this was because he chose to stay silent and let her handle it.

"Hi!" she finally blurted, a bit too loud. "I… completely forgot…" she trailed off.

Eric's eyes flicked down to her robe before he smirked back at her. "I can tell."

Sookie searched in her head for an explanation that didn't require her to have to tell her entire family history to her friends right now.

"Guys, I'm so sorry… I forgot I had a previous engagement with Mr.…" she blinked, staring at Eric, unsure if she should even tell them his name at all. "Mr.…"

"Northman…" he offered from the entryway.

"Mr. Northman!" Sookie sighed. "Right…" she looked at Tara. "Can we get a rain check?"

Tara arched an eyebrow at her. Sookie looked at her pleadingly, both friends stayed in a silent battle of wills.

"Come on Tara!" Hoyt said at last. "Sookie's busy – we don't want to make her late!" he added pointedly.

Sookie shot Hoyt a grateful smile, which he didn't return, but he just grabbed his jacket and opened the door wider. Eric stepped out of the way, into the apartment and nodded at him as he stepped out. Tara glared at Sookie _that way_, that way that meant _you are telling me everything later_ before she strode out after Hoyt, presenting Eric with a tight, polite smile. She closed the door behind her as she left, and Sookie sagged, letting out a puff of air out through her mouth as she sagged.

"Good party last night?" Eric asked, adjusting his tie as he waited by the door.

Sookie glared at him. "It was just a fruit punch! How do you kno… oh why am I asking…?" she shook her head to herself and marched to spill the remainder of the coffee in the sink. She rinsed her glass and let it dry.

"I'm sorry, I should have realized you had company. I saw Mr. Fortenberry's car outside…" Eric admitted as he walked further into her living room, looking around. "But since I was expected I didn't think I would be interrupting."

"It's fine…" Sookie waved it away as she turned away from the kitchenette. "They just turned up without warning and I was asleep…" she pointed at the couch. "Just sit down and I'll…" she looked down at her robe and sighed. "Wear something… I'll be right back."

She went into her room and glared angrily at her bed as she untied her sash and dropped the robe on the floor. She just yanked her wardrobe open and stared indecisively at her clothes. She couldn't wear Gran's dress again, obviously, but she couldn't go in jeans either. She huffed angrily as she started shoving clothes' hangers from side to side, looking for something appropriate. In the end, the _little black dress_ would have to do the trick. It was noon, but fuck it, it was what she had. Perhaps next time she'd meet Niall somewhere she could wear her actual clothes and she'd be fine. She put on her pumps and stepped in front of the mirror to do a quick French braid. She put on a little makeup, grabbed her purse and stepped back out.

All in under ten minutes – women everywhere would be ashamed of her. Personally, she was a little proud. Eric looked up from his seat on her couch. He looked funny there, in his fancy fitted suit on her flea-market little couch. He trailed his eyes over her blatantly as she stopped in front of him and she cocked an eyebrow and smirked.

"What? Don't you like it?" she made a show of spreading her hands and doing a little twirl.

The dress was really nothing special, it was just a black halter dress with a soft pleated skirt – it ended in the middle of her thighs, but it wasn't indecent as it wasn't tight, but it had a nice flair. She turned back around and cocked her head at him, daring him to judge.

"You look nice," he said almost in a bored tone. "Shall we go?"

He stood, forcing her to take a step back. She frowned at him. Never had a _you look nice_ sounded so insulting before. She just shook her head and snorted turning away from him to march to the door. She saw Jason's keys glinting at her from the kitchen island and she remembered she'd wanted to go there today, so she took a detour to swipe the keys and toss them into her purse. When she turned back, Eric had already gotten the door opened and was holding it for her. She just let him do his thing and marched out. She heard him locking the door for her so she just started down the stairs.

"Oh, hey Sookie!" Holly had been sweeping the steps outside. She looked down at her dress. "Well, where are you off to so soon?"

Sookie smiled politely, pondering what to answer, when she felt Eric surging at her back and she saw Holly's eyes going up and up and her chin going down and down.

"I uh… have a meeting…" she said uncertainly.

"Oh…" Holly nodded, still gaping. "I thought Tara and Hoyt were with you…"

"Yeah… they were…" Sookie looked over her shoulder and noticed Eric pocketing _her_ house keys. "Holly this is Eric Northman… he's uh… also going to the meeting…" she added lamely.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Eric shook Holly's hand as she still gaped at him.

"Well… bye Holly!" Sookie waved, turning to jog down the steps and make a beeline for Eric's car.

She eyed Holly warily from the side view mirror as she got herself inside. Her landlady quickly disappeared into the house though.

"Seatbelt," Eric reminded her as he got in.

Sookie rolled her eyes and fumbled with the damn thing as he started the car.

"So… fruit punch, huh?" Eric asked after a while.

"Holly must have spiked it a little." Sookie mumbled, leaning her head against the window and rubbing her temples.

"It was a sixteen year-old boy's birthday party. Who do you _really_ think spiked the punch?"

She looked over at him and he was smirking knowingly. "You've done that?"

"I've been sixteen," was his answer.

Sookie shook her head, thinking that probably made more sense. She wondered how some of Holly's friends were feeling today – some of them had more to drink than she had. She snorted thinking about it.

"Well it knocked me out a whole night, I'm not gonna complain."

"Having trouble sleeping?" he asked in a compassionate tone.

Sookie shook her head. "No. I'm fine." He eyed her funny. "Maybe a little."

"You're under a lot of stress."

"Thank you, _Doctor_ Northman."

He smiled without looking at her and dropped the subject. It wasn't long before they pulled up in front of the _Bellefleur Hotel_ again. She saw the valet hurrying to them and she noticed Pam Ravenscroft tapping her foot under the awning over the red carpet entrance. Well, Niall should be in there already – she sighed, bracing herself as the door was opened for her.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I own nothing but drunken plot bunnies. **

* * *

**17.**

August 17, 2013

Sookie followed Pam Ravenscroft across the lobby while she talked to someone on the phone. She stole a glance over her shoulder to see where Eric was – he'd stopped at the reception counter, and was speaking to one of the staff there. She frowned as she turned to stare ahead, right on time not to miss the huge step in front of her, that would have been embarrassing. She glanced sideways at Niall's P.A., suddenly uncertain she was supposed to be following her in the first place.

"No, she doesn't want them! They were a disaster last year! Get the florists who did the benefit function last Christmas!" Pamela was saying into her phone. She stopped and tossed Sookie a friendly wink before rolling her eyes at whoever she was talking to. "Look, this isn't usually my business. But my boss promised Claudine she could host the goddamned ball there this year – it's for charity or something, knowing her, it's probably the _or something_, but we do it no matter what, OK?"

Sookie stared around awkwardly while she finished. The host at the entrance to the restaurant shot her a sympathetic smile before he welcomed a couple coming from the elevator. Again she glanced over her shoulder, but there was no sign of Eric. Of course he wasn't coming to the restaurant, he just worked for Niall – but if she was honest, she felt weird without him. She'd learned to expect him to be there.

"Ugh! Finally!" Pam said as she hung up and put her phone away. "I'm sorry about that!" she turned and gave her a long, appraising look. "Mmm."

Sookie noticed her eyes on her shoes and raised an eyebrow. Yes, they were the same pumps – so what?

"Are you ready?" Pam smiled encouragingly when she returned her eyes to her face.

"Uhm…" Sookie shrugged. "Is he in there already?"

"Yes, of course!" Pam sighed tiredly. "Look,_ before_ you leave, I need to have a chat with you. So once you two are done, I'll be waiting in the lobby."

"OK…"

"Please, show Miss Stackhouse to Niall Brigant's table…" Pam turned to the host who moved immediately from behind the podium to do her bidding.

Sookie smiled tightly at both of them before she followed him inside. She was actually glad he wasn't someone she knew personally. So far, she'd really only recognized the bellboy who saw her in Eric's room the first time she were here. She hoped it stayed that way.

Niall stood up as he saw her, from a table by a window with a nice view of the paved garden. She smiled awkwardly as she approached him – his smile was so disarming and warm and when he took both her hands with that firm grip again, she actually found herself squeezing back and smiling too.

"It's good to see you again my dear! You look lovely!" he said sincerely.

She didn't thank him for the compliment or returned the feeling verbally, but she smiled before she moved to take the seat a waiter – who she also didn't recognize, pulled up for her.

"Thank you…" she took the menu she was offered.

"Would you like to order your drinks now, sir?" the waiter asked.

"Well, yes, I suppose. Sookie, dear?"

She thought briefly before she decided she could use the liquid courage, even if her head was still buzzing with the effects of the fruit punch. "I'll have a gin and tonic."

"I'll have some more of that minted ice tea, Laurent, if you please!" Niall smiled at the waiter.

Sookie looked around the restaurant a bit more blatantly now, to see if she recognized anyone at all – but she didn't. They seemed to be filled to its capacity though and it surprised her.

"I want to thank you for agreeing to see me again," Niall started when their server walked away. "I should have had the forethought of doing it this way the first time!" he shook his head regretfully. "This was Pamela's idea, by the way! Bless the woman. I don't know what I'd do without her!"

Sookie smiled, noticing his genuine disappointment with himself. "She seems very efficient."

"Oh, yes, she is. She was a great find, Pam. She's been with me for… twelve, thirteen years…" Niall trailed off, looking at her with sudden embarrassment.

Sookie blinked at him curiously, wondering why. "That's longer than you've known some members of your family, I suppose!" she said once she figured out what it had been.

Niall actually flushed a little. "Yes, that is true."

"Can I ask you something?" Sookie shifted in her seat, figuring if she was entitled to some answers to things they hadn't talked about during their first meeting.

"Of course, Sookie. You can ask me anything you like!" Niall encouraged her.

"This whole… bodyguard thing you have set up for me… to prevent these other people from coming to me first? Who are those people working for?"

Niall paled a little, although he didn't look exactly surprised by the question. He waited until they were served their drinks and their server was gone again.

"They work for, and that is really all that is certain about this, Warren Realtors, a company belonging to my granddaughter Claudine's husband, Colman."

Sookie nodded slowly. "OK… so… _why_?"

"There's something you need to understand, Sookie…" Niall said carefully, bracing his hands on the table. "I have not spoken to Colman myself and Claudine isn't aware of any of this. I had a suspicion that Claudine and Claude's father, who was married to my late daughter Marie, was the one who'd hired them. Because fifteen years ago he hired someone to talk to Adele."

"Right, and she sent them away, repeatedly," Sookie said."Eric…Mr. Northman said you thought they'd bribed my grandmother?"

"I assumed they had been successful when Adele refused to speak to me," he admitted.

"It didn't occur to you she just _didn't_ want to speak to them as she surely didn't want to speak to you?" she arched an eyebrow.

Niall again looked contrite. "I made another error in judgment, I admit."

"Yes, you did. They wanted her to never tell us about you, after my Dad died." She braced her arms on the table between them as she considered something else. "Now I have to wonder why is it that they waited for him to die to do that."

Niall looked suddenly very uncomfortable. "Yes, I have wondered that very same thing myself."

Their waiter returned to see if they were ready to order and neither had even looked at the menu.

"I'll have whatever your having," Sookie shrugged. She didn't have the patience to pick something right now.

Niall ordered some dish with turkey in it, after making sure she liked turkey and then the waiter was gone again.

"You were saying…" Sookie prodded him.

"I have my suspicions your father Corbett was contacted himself – how many years earlier I don't know."

"And you're thinking he had some type of deal with your son-in-law?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you just ask him?"

"Crane?" Niall arched his eyebrows and Sookie nodded. "Oh I couldn't do this without being entirely certain."

"Why not?"

"Because he was my daughter's husband, and he was between me and my daughter, and my grandchildren. I wanted to be sure before I did or said anything."

"Weren't you sure they tried to bribe my Gran?" she asked, a bit irritated.

"I should tell you how I came to know about that," Niall said and Sookie nodded patiently. "It was my daughter Marie. She showed up one night, with a bag, and in tears, and she didn't want to tell us why she'd left home, but she asked permission to stay with us. My wife was still alive at the time, but very sick. We avoided putting her through any stress. I think that's why Marie simply decided to return home two days later… well that… and the fact Augustus had the children." Sookie frowned and nodded, waiting for him to continue. "I asked her why they had fought, and she confessed Augustus was obsessed with my will and testament…" Niall smiled sadly. "She told me he kept asking about… Fintan's bastard…"

"Oh…" Sookie hated the man already.

"It was Marie who suspected he wanted to do something against your father. So I sent someone I trusted to find Adele – and what she said was she wouldn't speak to me if Jesus himself drove me there."

Sookie snorted. "That sounds like her."

Niall smiled too in spite of himself. "Well, yes… but the person I sent over did a little digging, and discovered Adele had recently put in a call with the local police about trespassers. I had him look further into it and discovered a name – it was a man from New Orleans whom I found out had previously worked for Augustus Crane. But I never had any proof of the involvement, and I never found the man himself."

The food arrived and they again had to pause. Once the servers were gone, Sookie watched Niall curiously as he stared at an empty spot on the table.

"I will confess it was only then guilt truly started eating away at me. I realized I had lost a son, and then I had lost the chance to get to meet my grandson, when I didn't insist with Adele to see him after he was born. She was too angry, too bitter, and I didn't wait for her to change her mind, I let it go… Then your father died too. I learned about you and your brother, but Adele didn't want to hear from me. All I had was this suspicion about Augustus Crane and a man I couldn't find." He sighed, and he looked tired. "It was only recently, after Mr. Northman started working for me I found out, thanks to his contacts in the police, that a couple years before your father died, he'd survived a bizarre hunting accident." Sookie's eyes widened. "I didn't know what to make of it at first, but Eric said there had been an investigation at the time, that was shortly dropped after he came out of the hospital alive."

"What are you saying…?" Sookie asked, feeling a sudden cold gripping her from inside.

"What I am saying Sookie, is I have… some suspicions, and no proof of anything at all. So all I can do… is protect everyone I can… this includes you… and my grandchildren…"

Sookie understood the unspoken meaning. He wouldn't go against Augustus Crane or Colman Warren without proof and risk estrangement from more members of his family. She had a hard time reconciling that within herself at the moment, being she was the one who _had_ been estranged and whose father might very well have been nearly assassinated in the past – it didn't matter he was dead.

She looked away from him, afraid if she kept looking into his sincere, fearful blue eyes she'd either walk away from him forever in anger or confront him in the middle of the crowded restaurant. Perhaps Pam Ravenscroft was even smarter than anyone gave her credit for.

"Petition to speak of this later…" she said unexpectedly as she finally started poking her food.

Niall blinked at her, at a loss for a moment before he smiled. "Petition approved."

They started eating, and Sookie forced herself not to dwell on what he'd just told her. At least not right now.

"What country club was that on the photo you showed me?" she asked him after a while.

"Oh…the Lake Delahoussaye Country Club – halfway from here to Shreveport, I'm sure you've seen it!"

Sookie paused, gasping before she recovered. "I know…" she focused on cutting into her turkey. "Jason used to work there."

"Oh yes, that's right!" Niall smiled. "I remember seeing that in one of the earliest reports…" he chuckled. "I don't suppose he knew that's where Adele met Fintan – I mean, you certainly didn't know."

"No he didn't…" Sookie nodded. "And he would most likely not want to hear about it." Niall nodded quietly, his smile fading. "Grandpa Earl was his favorite person growing up," she explained. Niall nodded again. "So… why don't you tell me something about you that won't make us fall into awkward silence again?" she offered with an olive-branch-smile.

Niall smiled back. "That sounds highly digestive." Both laughed. "Can I ask you something instead?"

"Sure…"

"Where did you go to school?"

For the rest of the meal they talked about lighter things, and tried to stay away from any delicate subjects. Niall even talked Sookie into trying the dessert, and she realized, by the end of the meal, he had managed to get her to have a good time in his company, which she hadn't been expecting. They didn't make any plans straight away and Sookie was appreciative of it. When they walked out on the lobby, Niall excused himself, walking to the left. Sookie had been immediately distracted by the sight of Pam Ravenscroft standing up from one of the large couches and she almost missed it.

"OK!" she said turning when he was already walking away and she realized Niall had excused himself to go talk to Eric who had just walked out of the elevator. She watched them curiously as Pam approached her. "Hi…" she blinked, turning her eyes back to Niall's P.A.. "You wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes, I did!" Pam smiled, turning to wrap her arm around the small of her back and lead her away. "I'm going to go on a limb here and assume you two had a good time, and that you would be willing to attend a family function. It would make Niall very happy!"

"A… what?" Sookie made a face, already disliking the idea.

"Well, I have been thinking… you're going to have to meet the rest of the family eventually, right?"

"Uh… I wouldn't say I'm going to _have to_…" Sookie started.

"Assuming you decide to humor him?" Pam winked at her. "I think this charity event would be the perfect setting."

"What makes you think a big… pompous party full of people I don't know will be the perfect setting?" Sookie rolled her eyes.

"Because it's going to be a _big_ party full of people _who don't know you either_."

"You lost me…" Sookie folded her arms across her chest.

"It will be an absolutely casual thing to introduce you, everyone will be there for the event, and the charity and the auctions, and, just in passing if people ask we can say, oh she's another of Niall's great grandchildren!" Pam said happily. "Trust me… it will be painless… the articles in the morning tabloids _won't_… but the event itself will be. What do you say?"

Sookie looked back at Pam like she'd gone crazy. "I think that's nuts!"

"So you'll think about it?" Pam tossed back, completely unfazed. "We have time."

"What makes you think that's a good idea?"

"Sookie…" Pam took her arm and sat her down on the couch with her. "Trust me. I know Claudine and Claude Crane… they're not going to be your best friends… so we need a neutral setting. This is a good idea. This way they get to meet you along with _everyone else_."

Sookie batted her eyes repeatedly as she tried to get at what she was saying. "Everyone else?"

"_Everyone_ else…" Pam nodded slowly. "If you meet them alone, Sookie, they'll tear you apart to strangers later. Meet them all at the same time, they won't have the time."

"And why should I care?"

"For Niall…" Pam ended with a plea. "Will you think about it?"

"You're overestimating my abilities to understand everything you just said…" Sookie confessed.

"Good!" Pam squeezed her arm.

"Well, it's time for us to go…" Niall walked up to them with Eric behind him. "Pamela…"

"Yes, Niall…" Pam stood up. "I'd already called the car."

"Very well," Niall walked past her to take Sookie's hands again. "Thank you for today."

Sookie smiled, feeling a little self-conscious now that they had an audience. "I had an interesting time."

Niall nodded, squeezing her hands again – he patted her shoulder and walked past her to follow Pam outside.

Sookie turned around to watch his departure while chewing her lip, trying to think over everything they talked about today. She felt Eric at her back and turned around to face him.

"Oh… hi…"

"I'm ready to take you home whenever you want," he told her, standing there in his immaculate suit and hair and smelling great like always.

"It's OK. I'm not going home," she shrugged. "I… I'm going to drop by my brother's house and… check on things. That's why Hoyt and Tara were in my place earlier, Hoyt came to drop his keys."

Eric nodded. "I can drive you there too. I'm on duty all day today. Chow is busy somewhere else."

"Oh, so you guys are _really_ still watching me huh?"

After everything Niall told her today, it didn't surprise her.

"For your safety."

She sighed turning around to start heading for the door. "We need to come up with a cover story for you though… I mean I'll already have a hard time explaining to Tara who you are."

"So I take it the one where you're my dirty secret doesn't please you?" Eric teased her as he fell into step next to her.

"For how long would people buy that anyway? I mean look at you!"

"What about me?" Eric arched an eyebrow.

"You're too classy for me!" she winked at him.

Eric chuckled as he got the car keys from the valet. "Now you're making me blush."

Sookie grinned at him before she moved to get in the car as the door was opened for her. She was getting used to this. She watched as Eric got around the front of the car and she remembered her seatbelt for once.

"I take it you already know where my brother's house is?" she asked teasingly once he was inside. Eric gave her a look that made her laugh. "OK, then… _drive_!" she said haughtily.


	18. Chapter 18

**18.**

August 17, 2013

"OK, we should just tell people you're gay," Sookie suggested.

"We could tell them that…" Eric nodded slowly, his expression not really giving away anything.

Sookie laughed, watching him as he drove, always so focused. "I was kidding," she snorted.

"I know," he winked at her, turning to her briefly. "For all you know, I am gay," he countered.

"You're not gay…" Sookie huffed, rolling her eyes.

"How would you know that?" Eric asked, his eyes still on the road.

"Coz' I caught you checking my boobs more than once," she shrugged.

His reaction was better than she had hoped, he actually stopped to look at her with a slightly stricken expression and Sookie burst into laughter.

"You should've seen your face just now!"

Eric shook his head, focusing his eyes up front again while Sookie tried to stop laughing.

"It's fine! I get the accidental look all the time, it's no big deal – it happens when you have boobs, ask any girl." she assured him. "So…" she sighed, sitting back a little more comfortably. "I could use a little help here!"

"Why don't you just tell people the truth?" Eric suggested.

"Yeah because _everyone's_ gonna believe that!"

"It's the truth," he shrugged.

Sookie sighed, rolling her head to stare at the road in front of them. "I don't want people to start saying stuff about my grandmother…" she admitted.

She could see Eric watching her from her peripheral, so she stayed with her eyes locked on the car in front of them. She didn't want to stir things up now. Gran Adele was gone, Grandpa Earl was gone, but she couldn't bear the thought of the people who knew her and respected her saying mean things about her when she wasn't there to defend herself. She didn't deserve that.

"Tell them we're friends," was his next suggestion, and he had that compassionate tone of voice again.

"Eric…" Sookie rolled her head towards him again. "Would you and I ever be friends in different circumstances?"

Eric frowned, looking away from the road for a moment to stare at her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, do you see us being friends if we met in a different way?" she shrugged. "Because I don't… and I don't think anyone in this town would buy that either."

His frown deepened but he kept staring at the road. "We might not live in the same town or come from similar backgrounds, it doesn't mean we'd never be friends."

"How old are you?" she asked curiously.

"I'm thirty-three," he answered with a shrug.

Sookie actually snorted a little. Mary Beth wouldn't have been wrong about the older man bit – although the age difference was smaller than it had been between her and Sam – so she'd count that as an upgrade.

"So… we didn't even watch the same Saturday morning cartoons!" she pointed out. "As you said, we had different backgrounds, and you'd likely never end up here if not for work, so, we'd never meet, never get to find out we have nothing in common. But if we ever did, I bet we'd know that and we _wouldn't_ be friends. So people wouldn't buy that… just by looking at you they'd know the only interest you could have in a bumpkin like me, would be to maybe do a little horizontal tango before you left town."

Eric glanced at her quickly again, his frown deepening. "You're not a bumpkin."

"And you're being paid to be nice to me," she grinned.

"You can't possibly think that little of yourself…" he shook his head.

Sookie shrugged. "I don't.. I'm just… comparing worlds here." She sighed, looking ahead again, regretting the tone the conversation had taken. The fruit punch and gin and tonic turned her stupid, she usually got more self-deprecating than usual after drinking. "I'm just trying to be a little objective here."

She felt a little relieved when she realized they'd arrived and they didn't have to keep talking about this. As soon as Eric stopped the car she unbuckled herself and jumped out. She stared at the several pre-fab houses that occupied the Compton Hill. She remembered when Jason obtained the loan to start payments on the little house – he had been so proud. He'd tried convincing her to come and live with him, but she refused.

Jason _should_ start worrying about his own life, his own stuff – she believed once he stopped sleeping with everything in a skirt he'd actually settle down and be a great family man - he just seemed the type that needed to fall in love with the right girl to get his head on straight. And she shouldn't be around to make things difficult when that happened.

She stared at the well manicured lawn with a sigh, realizing Hoyt had probably done it. She'd have to thank him later. If he was in the mood to talk to her that is. He didn't look pleased with her earlier, probably because he gathered Eric was the one the rumors were about. She really had to decide what to tell her friends at least. She didn't want them being mad at her.

As she started walking to Jason's front door she heard Eric's car pulling away and she looked over her shoulder, confused. She stared as he disappeared around the corner and gaped a little. Had he just left her there, with no goodbye? Shrugging she turned back and walked faster to get to the door.

The first thing she noticed when she walked inside was the smell. It smelled like an abandoned house – windows hadn't been opened in a long time obviously. She sighed and looked around her brother's cluttered living room. He had a flat screen TV that was far too big. The couch and only armchair had stains on them she really didn't want to think about.

She started going around and opening windows. She opened the ones in the kitchen and laundry room too – his laundry basket was still full of unwashed clothes and she grunted. She'd been too mad at her brother to come here sooner, and now she regretted it.

There were three knocks on the front door and she paused, hesitating for a moment, until she realized it was probably just going to be Eric. She jogged over to open it and there he was.

"Where did you go?" she asked as she stepped back so he could come in.

"I didn't want to park too visibly."

"Why?"

"Just for precaution."

"You people are so weird…" she locked the door behind him. "I think the least unpleasant place to sit is the kitchen… if you want…" she said before she started heading towards Jason's bedroom.

She opened the door and turned on the light, immediately puckering her lips at the smell. At least the bed was made and there were no worn condoms on the floor. She moved a chair out of her way so she could get to the window, the curtains were drawn closed and she tugged them opened – and then she felt a little breeze and she looked down awkwardly.

That window had been broken. She stepped back to the stare at the uneven crack in her brother's window, right over where the window latch was. She reached forward to tug at the latch, and found it open.

"Eric…" she called tremulously.

"Step aside…"

She felt his hand on the small of her back guiding her to the side and she was startled to find out he was already there. She nodded and stepped away, letting Eric stand in front of the window. She watched as he too tested the latch, before testing how easily the window slid open, then he closed it again and leaned down to take a closer look at the crack – he put his palm up against it, and it was almost as big as his hand. He put his whole arm through it easily.

"Let's take a look around… stay with me…" he grabbed her wrist and started dragging her with him.

The bedroom was small enough that they knew they were alone. Either way, Eric dropped to look under the bed and yanked Jason's small wardrobe door open. Then he led the way back – stopping to check the small bathroom. The living room, kitchen and laundry room were clear, Sookie knew that because she'd been to each of those rooms, but she followed him around anyway, as she tried to brush the crippling goose bumps away from her arms.

"No basement or cellar?" Eric asked as they stopped in the middle of the kitchen.

"No."

"OK…" Eric sighed looking around the kitchen - he seemed to be doing some hard thinking. "What were you planning to do here?"

"Clean… check his mail…" Sookie shrugged, hating that her voice cracked a little, and she knew her eyes were still wide as saucers.

"OK… that's going to have to wait…" he reached for his phone. "I want Chow to do a different type of cleaning first."

* * *

Eric pushed the curtain blocking the living room window to make sure he'd heard Chow outside. He recognized his car, pulling up a little further down the street. He stepped away to unlock the front door, and from where he stood he could see Sookie sitting at the table in the kitchen, playing with the coffee mug between her hands.

There was only one knock, and Eric pulled the door opened to see Chow standing there, holding his briefcase in his hand.

"Here I am, boss."

"Come in. Did you see anything unusual outside?"

"No. Several of the neighbors are out."

Chow stepped in, taking a look around the dark living room as Eric locked the door. He turned and saw Sookie in the lit kitchen and waved.

"Hey Sookie!"

She waved perfunctorily at him, turning to stare at her coffee mug again.

"Where do you want me to start?" Chow turned back to Eric.

"From the breaking in point… that will be Jason's room. Follow me."

Chow followed him into Jason's bedroom – he looked around carefully before he set his briefcase on the foot of the bed and threw it opened. He looked up to see Eric pulling away the curtains so he could see the broken window.

"Did you find a rock or anything?" Chow asked as he snapped latex gloves on.

"No."

"OK… did you guys touch anything?"

"The latch, I was careful with the window, but it could be contaminated."

"It's fine, I already have her fingerprints too, so it should be easy…" Chow moved. "Now let me get to work."

Eric walked back into the kitchen a moment later, to find Sookie in the same place he left her, still with the mug between her hands. But as he sat down he identified the smell, it wasn't coffee, but beer. He sat down across from her.

"Should you be drinking this much?"

"What are you - my Dad?" she answered tiredly, and sounding like she was far away.

"No…" Eric replied tentatively. He didn't quite know to broach a subject that wasn't quite his business. For all he knew, she was pregnant. But even if she was, it wasn't his job to tell her what to do with her body. "It might just not be a good idea."

Sookie snorted and pinched her nose between her fingers as she shook with laughter. Eric watched her warily.

"You think I'm preggers don't you?" she asked and then giggled.

She was definitely tipsy. Eric arched his eyebrows.

"And you're drunk."

Sookie laughed. "Oh, man, I wish…" she sighed, dropping her shoulders, her eyes again staring at the contents of her mug as she spun it round and round over the table top. "I remembered… on Sunday, that in our first meeting you and I kind of had an intimate moment…" her shoulders shook with laughter again. "You picked up my pregnancy test from the sidewalk… and you were probably… I don't know… writing that down on some super secret report!" she snorted. "Does Niall think I'm pregnant too?" she asked without looking at him.

"Niall doesn't know," he told her. "That is your business."

"Yet you're worried about my drinking…" she grinned, rolling her eyes up towards him. "I'm not… pregnant… or drunk… I'm just…" she sighed, scratching the side of her head sleepily. "Really tired…and now someone broke into Jason's house… and it just… pisses me off!" she moved her hand to rub at her eye.

"I'm sorry…" he didn't know what else to say. "It's possible it was just some common criminal who knew the house was empty."

Sookie's eyes widened a little as she snapped her head up at him again, and she looked confused. "What do you mean it's _possible_ it was just some common criminal? Who else could it be?" she asked, suddenly altered.

"Well… there are a couple of other possibilities…" Eric admitted.

"Ugh!" Sookie pushed back, causing her chair to scrape against the tile floor noisily. "Ok let's hear them…" she stood up and walked to the sink to dump what was left of her beer and wash the mug.

"It could be someone from Hotshot," he said.

Sookie looked over her shoulder at him with frown. "Why?"

"What do you know about what his dealings with them had been? Other than his relationship with Crystal Norris? Maybe Crystal slept here a few times? Maybe she left things here she'd need again and she didn't have the keys? Maybe he had something else they needed?" he shrugged. He watched as she thought about that possibility and he could tell she believed that possibility as much as he did. "There's also the possibility the people who had been trying to talk to you were here too."

"Why?" she shook her head. "What could they get from here?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "Frankly I don't know."

She put the mug to dry and walked back to retake her seat across from him, she dropped her head between her hands, with her elbows on the table top. He wished he could say something to make her feel better, but he didn't know what. He reached across and took one of her hands, pressing his thumb to her palm gently and staring into her eyes when she looked up at him, taken aback.

"Whatever it is, we'll take care of it, Sookie. It's going to be OK. We're not going to leave you alone in all of this."

"You can't promise me that…" Sookie said. "You're just working for Niall… and he could decide it's just… not worth it…" she pulled her hand away and stood up again.

Eric leaned back against his chair and kept quiet, listening to her steps as she walked into the living room and beyond – he heard the bathroom door closing a moment later.

* * *

Sookie ignored Eric's and Chow's voices in the living room as she went back into Jason's bedroom and closed the door behind her. She stared at the broken window, halting her steps for a moment. Eric's words to her in the kitchen came to her as the broken window glared back at her.

Shuddering, she strode towards the window and tugged the curtains closed. With a sigh she ran her fingers through her hair and tried to tell herself this was enough. Then she walked over to Jason's dresser and picked one of his large t-shirts and threw it on top of her little black dress – to avoid getting it dirty or ruined. The t-shirt covered most of the dress, so it should be OK. She did a quick sweep of the room, before walking out and grabbing the bucket, broomstick and mop she had picked earlier – she went into the bathroom, ignoring the men still talking in the living room. She'd start with the cleaning there.

"How can I help?" Eric appeared in the doorway with his sleeves rolled up. His jacket had been left in the car hours ago.

She stopped to stare at him. "Uhm… you don't have to do this…"

"Sookie, you'll finish faster if you let me help."

"Fine…" she sighed. "There's cleaning stuff in the laundry room. "You can tidy up the living room."

"OK," he smiled before he turned around and disappeared.

She focused on the cleaning, and tried not to think too much about the whole thing. Chow had asked her if she could tell there was anything visibly missing. But she couldn't. She couldn't possibly know if anything was missing when she didn't live with her bother and didn't know everything he'd had in the house. All of his personal things were still there. Everything she remembered being there last time she dropped by to pick up some things to send them to Jason were still there. But she couldn't say for sure nothing was missing. When Eric and Chow suggested she talked to Hoyt about this, she'd flinched. She really didn't want to get into all of that with him – she understood their point though. Hoyt was Jason's friend, he'd been around enough, and he'd been the person with the keys before he returned them to Sookie.

She would have to do this. She would have to tell him the whole thing. She might as well just tell the truth to Tara too. If anyone deserved to know, it was the person listed as her emergency contact. Well, Jason was there first – but Jason was in jail now. Perhaps the idea of telling Tara everything was comforting. She really hadn't been talking to anyone about this at all – except Eric. But Eric… Eric worked for Niall. She couldn't forget that.

Several hours later, it was already dark, and the house was finally clean and she was exhausted. But they'd ordered pizza and they sat down on the living room floor and they ate, while drinking some more of Jason's precious imported beer. She even got Eric to join her too. She was feeling a happy buzz once again.

"I never would have guessed you were such a clean-nut!" she snorted after he told her about his cleaning habits in college.

"Yeah, my roommates both loved me and hated me…" Eric told her with a reminiscing tone, one arm over a bended knee as he leaned back against the couch.

He looked so relaxed on her brother's living room floor, in what was left of his once immaculate suit. She giggled, taking another sip from her beer.

"You must be a Virgo…" Eric arched an eyebrow at her. "I got it right, didn't I?" he nodded and she applauded herself. "I knew it!"

"So…" she pushed the nearly empty pizza box away and scooted closer so she could lean in conspiratorially. "You drunk enough to tell me what happened to get you kicked out of the force?"

"Kicked out of the force…" Eric repeated with a chuckle as he looked down at her. "That's some brazen terminology there, Miss Stackhouse. Do you watch a lot of cop shows?"

"I used to…" she confessed with a sigh. "But seen one, seen them all, am I right?" she snorted. Eric smirked down at her. "Look, I think it's only fair. You know a lot about me. Give me something juicy!"

Eric laughed and sunk further down against the foot of the couch, putting the empty beer bottle next to him and stretching his legs, making a face as his muscles complained.

"If you must know, I was suspended indefinitely, pending discharge for misconduct." he explained, watching for her reaction.

She blinked a little, sobering up unexpectedly."What did you do?"

"I shot someone who didn't pose anyone myself included an imminent threat. I was deemed incapable of making a moral judgment."

"Why did you shoot them?" she asked curiously.

"He deserved it."

She absorbed that for a moment – she was definitely sobering up. "Wow…"

Eric arched an eyebrow. "Not what you were expecting was it?"

"I don't know what I was expecting…" she narrowed her eyes. "So.. he didn't have like… a gun?"

"Oh, he had one. But there wasn't a possibility he'd use it at that moment."

"I see…" she blinked, shifting a little closer, still very curious. "Did he die?"

"No."

"Did you want him to die?" she prodded.

Eric smiled at her interrogatory. "Yes. But I didn't shoot to kill. Wanting him dead and killing him aren't the same."

"So you were angry?"

"Very."

"Mmm…" she nodded staring into space. "You know I always thought there was a reason Gran never let me go hunting with Jason…" Eric chuckled next to her. "I'm serious…"

"I believe you," Eric said.

"What uh… what had the guy done?" she asked him.

"He'd killed five young girls…" Eric trailed off, staring into space too. "You don't want the details."

Sookie stared at him and from the expression on his face alone, she knew he was probably right.

"You know that's actually the reason I stopped watching cop shows… they can get very depressing," she said, trying to lighten the mood.

Eric looked at her with a smirk and he nodded. "I never watch them."

"So…Morrice?" she asked curiously.

"I was sent there for mandatory retraining, anger management, psychological treatment," he nodded. "That kind of stuff."

"Oh… Yeah, it sounds like that kind of place. But then you decided to work privately."

"There were more than one reason I decided to not go back, but yes, that was one."

She thought about what he told her, and part of her was curious for more, part of her was, yes, so judging him, and yet another part knew there were a couple of fuckers like that, types she'd seen on the news, who'd she be happy to shoot too.

"I think I know what we can tell the townsfolk after all…" Sookie said out of the blue, her eyes dropping to his mouth.

"Oh yeah, what's that?" Eric grinned, already expecting some joke.

"You're my partner for the new housekeeping firm we're opening," she grinned and Eric laughed. "Once people see your skills they'll totally believe me!"

"Whatever you want."

Something in that sentence tricked her brain into thinking he meant it and the next thing she knew, Sookie was pressing her lips to his. What she wanted was to know what he tasted like after all, she had been thinking about it since they sat down together to eat.

And what he tasted like was pizza and beer, and something that was just him. His lips were soft, and warm and the scent of him was intoxicatingly male. She would have lost herself in him, if not for the fact as she continuously pressed her mouth to his she couldn't not notice he wasn't kissing her back at all – he wasn't pulling back, but she suspected he was about to, so she stopped – with her eyes dropping between them as she pulled back a little, and shame unlike any other she'd ever felt engulfed her.

"I'm sorry…" he muttered and suddenly his hands were on her shoulders and he was pulling back slowly.

Sookie chuckled, rolling her shoulders to brush his hands off while scrambling away from him, without looking him in the eyes. "Yeah… not as sorry as I am…"

Mercifully, for all parties involved, Eric's phone chirped and he quickly got up to answer it. Sookie hustled to her feet, grabbing the pizza box and the empty beer bottles – she limped to the kitchen since one of her legs had fallen asleep and she proceeded to clean up their mess. She heard Eric's voice in the background, but she didn't pay attention to what he was saying. In her head, she was screaming at herself.

What had she been thinking back there? Just hours ago she was talking about how they wouldn't even have been friends hadn't Niall now put them in each other's lives the way he did, and now she was kissing him and expecting him to enjoy it? She wanted to slap herself silly. She was so ashamed of herself she thought she was going to hurl, and for a moment she actually braced her hands on the sink and waited for it to happen. But after a couple of minutes she thanked her body, for not hating her _that_ much.

She tossed what was left of the pizza in the trash bag along with the empty beer bottles, she did a quick scan of the kitchen and, making sure she hadn't left anything behind, she marched towards the front door to take the trash out.

She could feel Eric's eyes on her while he paced across the living room, still on the phone. She hoped that phone call lasted forever – if it were possible. She put the trash in the trash can and took a deep breath as she stared around the now completely dark street. A dog barked somewhere, and then another, and another.

Sookie closed her eyes and rubbed her temples in circles, hoping she could disappear. She heard his steps behind her and her body immediately went cold, and she grabbed at her stomach over the fabric of her dress as she braced herself to turn around and face him. She was so grateful for the dark, even though she could still see his dark blue eyes staring at her with intense… pity… OK now she just wanted to smack _him_ silly.

"Sookie…"

"I'm ready to go home. Why don't you go get the car while I lock up?" she said quickly as she started walking past him.

She hoped she could forget her humiliation before she had to be locked in a car with him again. She had two minutes – she had to make them last.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Thank you for the comments! :) **

* * *

**19.**

August 18, 2013

Lafoot was a little bar near the rural strip, near Mrs. Thornton's house. Because it was so removed from the growing parts of the city, it catered mostly to the locals and people coming from Monroe. On a Sunday night, it could be a little depressing, but Sookie wasn't looking for fun and games when she suggested Tara met her there. She had been sitting by herself at the table for a few minutes when she saw her friend poking her head around, looking for her. She waved and Tara smiled before walking over to her and sliding across from her in the booth.

"Hey… sorry I had make sure mom was OK before I left."

"It's OK. Is she?"

"Snoring. She'll be out till Tuesday."

Sookie chuckled. "I'm sorry."

Tara shrugged. "I assume you're here to tell me what the hell was that all about yesterday… but before that… I'll need a drink! So excuse me!"

Sookie waited until Tara was back with her drink. She looked back at her expectantly and she didn't know where to start. She sighed, dropping her eyes to the table.

"Sook… if you have a new guy, you have a new guy!" Tara started comfortingly. "Hoyt'll get over it, you don't need to be all secretive and shit! You know you _can't_ in a town like ours!" she finished with a snort.

Sookie rolled her eyes, sagging against her seat. "I'm _don't_ have a new guy, Tara." As it turned out, she was possibly even repulsive to him anyway. "What you saw… that guy…" she sighed again.

Tara frowned. "What? Spill woman!"

"He's a former cop, working for my great-grandfather. He was there yesterday to pick me up and take me to meet with him at the _Bellefleur Hotel_ – there…" she splayed her hands and let out a puff of air.

Tara gaped at her from across the booth with an understandably confused expression.

"WHAT?" she shook her head. "Great-grandfather? What? He took you to a séance?"

Sookie chortled into her hand, her shoulders actually shaking – Tara laughed along with her a little, but continued to stare at her inquisitively.

"Sook?"

Sookie took a deep sobering breath and stared at the table while rubbing her hands over her thighs nervously. "Earl Stackhouse was not my father's… biological father."

She looked up and Tara was blinking at her repeatedly, her mouth still ajar. "Get the fuck out!"

"It's the truth…" Sookie shrugged again. "Gran was already pregnant when… well she married Grandpa Earl, and he just raised him as his own…" she finished, thinking fondly of the man she'd loved so much.

"Oh my God…" Tara breathed after a long, speechless moment. "That's why you've been so weird! You've just found out? Your poor thing!"

Sookie flinched. "I didn't… _just_ find out…" she admitted, rubbing her hands on her thighs again. "I did _just_ meet this man who I'm related to… but I've known he existed for over ten years. So has Jason."

"You never told me…" Tara blurted, surprised again.

Sookie shrugged. "We… never talked about it. It didn't matter to us. Gran only told us after a man came knocking trying to pay her off to never tell us in the first place… to never make any claims or whatever."

"What man?" Tara glared.

"Some man, I don't know… I was 8 when he came by… Look, T… the reason I'm telling you now is because… well I'm being forced to. I'd never go looking for these people on my own… but well... one of them came to me and… for complicated reasons I sort of have had to deal with it."

"That guy in your house…" Tara started, and Sookie could see her trying to connect the dots in her head. "He's the one Tim Bodehouse saw you with in the hotel?" Sookie nodded. "So can you tell me what exactly you were doing there that day now?"

Sookie nodded, pushing her hair behind her ears. "That day I was walking back home after I jogged in the park. Felton Norris was waiting for me in his car – he just wanted to mess me up, scare me, I don't know. He came at me with his car and… Eric Northman, the man you saw, he and his… I don't know… colleagues or something interfered, and then he drove me there to keep me safe until they were sure Felton was gone."

"That mothefucker!" Tara banged her fist against the table, causing several patrons to stare their way curiously. "I knew he was bad news!"

"Well… yeah…" Sookie looked away embarrassedly. "So there's why I was in the hotel… with that man."

Tara shook her head incredulously for a moment. "So this… great-grandfather of yours… had bodyguards assigned to you?" she cocked an eyebrow. "Is he like rich or something?"

"Something like that."

"What's his name?"

"Niall Brigant."

Tara squinted and seemed to be trying to place that name somewhere, but finally she shook her head. "Never heard of him, although I admit it sounds vaguely familiar. Where does he live?"

"Shreveport."

"Huh…" Tara drank all of her soda in one gulp. "I'm gonna need a minute here Sook…"

"I don't blame you…" she looked out through the window and she could see Chow's car parked outside – he had the window rolled all the way down and he seemed to be reading something, with his roof light on.

Chow had been the one "on duty" since after Eric dropped her off the night before. She wondered when _he_'d get relieved – a whole day had passed. Was Eric that freaked out by her, he'd leave Chow there longer so he wouldn't have to bother with her?

Sookie laughed derisively to herself as she looked away from her bodyguard's car. Whatever. It wasn't like she was looking forward to seeing him again after her embarrassment last night. At least she could always chalk it off to her drinking even though she knew she wasn't that tipsy that she'd kiss someone without truly meaning to. Eric didn't need to know that though.

Before she got out of the car last night, when he tried to again broach the subject she'd just brushed it off, telling him it was OK, she had been out of line and it wouldn't happen again – then she got the hell out of the car and jogged to the door before he did his uber well-mannered thing where he'd walk her up to her door.

She told Tara she was going to the bathroom and she scooted out of the booth while her friend nodded, still watching her with a gaping mouth.

She'd had a mostly quiet day. She'd slept almost till noon again, and then she woke up, ate microwave food and watched TV until she fell asleep again. She woke up, did some school work and finally called Tara – knowing if she didn't tell her _something_ about what she'd witnessed on Saturday her friend would be giving her the wide-eyes all day long at work tomorrow. Besides, she felt better telling Tara first, and maybe Tara could be with her when she told Hoyt.

She hoped in the end it _had_ just been a common burglar – but if it had been, dammit wouldn't they have taken the fucking flat screen TV? Maybe it was just too big. She didn't know whether Jason had a place in the house where he stashed money, maybe Hoyt would know.

She didn't want things to be so complicated. She didn't want Felton Norris to be behind this, or those people Niall was talking about. She just wanted life to go back to the way it was, preferably before Jason ever met Crystal Norris, then, _none_ of this would be happening, no jail, no Norrises, no Brigants, no Northmans.

She walked back to her booth and Tara had ordered two more sodas for them. She took her seat again and they smiled at each other.

"So… are you ready to tell me more?" Tara asked curiously.

Sookie shrugged. "Sure."

They talked for a while more, and Tara's questions actually helped her a little to put things in perspective. Going over Niall's motives, the fact he was willing to help Jason – it made her soften up a little more about him as she talked to Tara. She was, of course, entirely outraged on her whole family's behalf for what he initially did to his own son and grandson – but she then mellowed out in the end, and told Sookie people had the right to regret and try to fix things.

Sookie knew that was Tara's hopes talking. She'd been trying to get her mother to sober up for the last two years. She'd been incredibly patient with her, and she'd endured a lot just to stay with her in the same house. Sookie didn't know whether she'd have had her strength.

They stepped out on the sidewalk later that night and they said goodnight. Tara lived only a block away. Sookie started walking in the opposite direction, tucking her hands inside her shorts' pockets. It wasn't long before Chow was driving slowly next to her and then she stopped walking when she heard the lock clicking opened. She snorted, tugged at the handle and pulled the door opened.

"Sorry, I was distracted, lost in the most intriguing chapter!" Chow said holding his book for her to see, his eyes glinting boyishly.

"That's fine… I'm just used to walking anyway… there's a bus stop further down…"

"Nonsense! Now that we're all out, you should just use us!" he winked at her as he started driving.

Sookie chuckled. "Isn't this kind of a boring job?"

"Sometimes… other times… it can be quite fascinating…" Chow reached for something in his door's cup holder and tossed it on her lap.

Sookie frowned and blinked when Chow switched on his roof light for her. She picked up what looked like a mug shot of a man. "Mack Rattray?"

"Is he familiar to you?" Chow asked.

"Uhm… no, can't say he is."

She studied a balding white's man unfriendly face – he had large hoop earrings, a lot of stubble and a large tattoo on his neck.

"Well he was in your brother's house," Chow said.

"What?" Sookie looked closely at the mug shot again. "How did you…"

"Fingerprints, from the window…" Chow explained. "We all work privately but we started with the police and we have more than a little helping hand."

"Huh… that must be nice," she continued studying the photo, to see if it would trigger some memory, but it didn't.

"Maybe your friend Hoyt Fortenberry knows him? Maybe your brother knew him?"

"If Jason knew him, Hoyt might know him too…" Sookie sighed. "I'll talk to him tomorrow before work."

"That would be good. It would be good if he could check Jason's house as soon as possible, maybe he can tell if something is missing."

"I don't think Hoyt will be able to help with that but I'll ask him…" she sighed, putting the mug shot away with frustration. "So who is he?"

"He's no big deal. He has a criminal record, but nothing too bad. Don't worry, we'll track him down."

"Yeah… excellent…" she dropped her head back against the head rest and just resigned to whatever came next.

* * *

August 19, 2013

In the background, the TV newscasters talked again about pockets of hot air and no rain. Sookie twirled her spoon into her coffee mug – her second of the day. As she brought it to her lips for a sip, she looked through the window and paused, recognizing the Chevy Volt parked across the street.

The knocks on her door that followed were no mystery then, and she sighed, resting her mug on the sink before she padded across the floor towards the door and pulled it open, not caring her hair was piled up in a messy bun atop her head or that she wore an old, overly large t-shirt as the only piece of clothing of today. He'd ruined the sexual tension anyway, she wasn't going to bother being mysteriously alluring around him, not that she had before.

She arched her eyebrows inquisitively as she sagged against the door, not immediately inviting him inside. He blinked back at her, a bit taken aback – maybe it was the hair, maybe it was the t-shirt, she couldn't tell – but he put himself together quickly.

"I'm here to drive you to Mr. Fortenberry's Hardware store – Chow let me know you were planning to leave early," Eric said professionally.

Sookie frowned. "Have you guys been downgraded to chauffeur?"

He smirked. "It still pays the same, I'm not complaining."

Sookie snorted. "Seriously, what's up?"

"Niall worries."

"What's-up-Eric…" she insisted between clenched teeth.

"Felton Norris has been driving around town again. He was seen near your workplace, and down by the park where you jog."

Sookie straightened up, frowning more seriously now. "When?"

"For the past two evenings," Eric said in his smooth voice that meant he was trying to be reassuring. "It's only a precaution Sookie."

"Fuck that, he's going to kill me and dump me in a ditch…" she muttered, her eyes dropping between them.

"Not while we're around," Eric said with certainty.

"Yeah…" she looked up, but she didn't look reassured in the least. "Lucky me my life's a fucking fairy tale…" she let go of the door, leaving it open and turned away to walk back to the kitchenette. "Just give me a moment, I'm not done with breakfast."

She heard the door clicking closed as she grabbed her mug and she started taking small sips while she tried to slow her heart rate down. She couldn't panic. She couldn't let that low life asshole do this to her. He might not even be after her. Maybe he just comes to Bon Temps and drives around, selling his meth every once in a while. Besides, Crystal hadn't called again…

"Your session has expired…"

Sookie turned around to find Eric staring curiously at her laptop screen. She'd been turning in another essay through the online school portal. She leaned back against the sink and shrugged.

"It's fine…"

Eric looked up from the screen to her face, he seemed to be struggling with something. "How's the credit system?"

"Pretty much like a normal school, you have hours to bank in, stuff to turn in, timed tests…" she shrugged. "You thinking about going back to school?" she teased.

Eric smirked, walking past her laptop to then stop and stare at her refrigerator door. Her schedule for _Grab It Kwik _was stuck to it, along with a number of little magnets she'd inherited from her Gran. There was also a note that said _buy yoghurt_ and the picture of an old, grey cat.

"That's Tina," Sookie clarified when he stopped to stare at it.

"_Your_ cat?" he turned to her curiously.

"Yep, had her for sixteen years. Do you have any pets?"

"A Labrador."

"Dog person?" she asked.

"Definitely."

"What's it called?"

"Biscuit," his lips curled up around the corners. Sookie cocked her eyebrows at him. "I didn't name him," he shrugged.

Whatever she wanted to ask next, it would have to wait, as Eric's phone rang in his pocket and he turned away to pick it up. Sookie finished her coffee and turned away to wash her mug, listening to his voice as he talked to someone, presumably Pam Ravenscroft. When she turned back he was staring at her with an arched eyebrow.

"I'll tell her…" Eric was saying. "Fine."

Sookie decided he could _tell her_ whatever it was after she got dressed. She walked past him and into her bedroom, closing the door behind her. She put on some jeans and sneakers, since she would probably just go straight to work afterwards, if Hoyt agreed to go to Jason's today that is. She walked out to find Eric waiting her by the front door.

"Pam has asked you to call her this evening, I wrote down the number and hung it on your fridge."

"OK. I'm ready to go."

* * *

Hoyt looked up from the counter as she approached, and his eyes immediately flitted over to Eric, who'd stopped by the door to scan the area. Sookie sighed, hating that she had shadows everywhere now – but if she were to confront Niall about this, she would be reminded of Felton Norris, and she kind of didn't want to think about him at all.

"Hey…" she waved sheepishly as she neared him.

"Hi…" Hoyt looked again to Eric at the other end of the store. "So I guess he's the page you're on now, huh?" he nodded towards him over her shoulder.

Sookie glared at him. "Even if he were, I would not take this tone Hoyt Fortenberry. Did I promise you anything I'm unaware of?" he looked immediately uncomfortable, and ignored her question in favor of adjusting some things in display on the counter. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

"Is there a reason you're here?" he asked.

"Yes, there is…" she looked around them warily, there were at least five more people milling about. "Can we talk somewhere more private?"

He looked at her worriedly now and he nodded, pointing to the other end of the counter. He met her there, and led the way to the storage room, while his father and another of their employees watched curiously.

"What's wrong?" he frowned once they were alone.

Sookie sighed, and grasped his hand, dragging him over to sit on a couple of crates with her. "Boy do I have a story for you…"

"A bad one?" he looked concerned.

"In some ways…" she made a face as she tried to think of a way to start. "I should start by the part that brought me here today… and why I need you."

"Okay…?"

"Someone broke into Jason's house recently, and, as far as I can tell, nothing noticeable has been taken. But you used to hang out with my brother more, and I'd like you to come with me to his house and look around. See if there's anything I didn't see."

Hoyt's eyes widened progressively and then he nodded. "Yeah, sure… of course… did you call the police?"

"Uh… yeah… not exactly… although I guess the police is in on it anyway…" she frowned thoughtfully.

"Huh?"

Sookie sighed again and looked up at him. "Ok… this is the part of the story that gets crazy…." Hoyt nodded expectantly. "That man out there in the store? The one you've also seen in my apartment? He's… sort of my… bodyguard…"

Hoyt blinked repeatedly at her while his mouth hung open. "…_Huh?_"


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: I own nothing.**

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**20.**

August 29, 2013

At around 5pm that Thursday, lines started getting longer at _Grab It Kwik_, not unusual. Sookie just carried on with the routine mechanically, while being lost in her own thoughts. It wasn't unusual for people to clear their throats around her, or politely nudge her when she went into her own little world, and Jimmy the manager had already stopped by to talk about her "declining focus" twice in the last week. So it wasn't for no reason she didn't notice her unusual customer waiting in line until it was her turn.

"Pam?" Sookie stared for a moment, still holding in her hand the first item, which happened to be the cheapest bottle of wine they had available. "What are you doing here?" she asked uneasily, looking behind her and around her, perhaps half expecting Chow or Eric to appear out of nowhere and tackle her to the ground yelling _bomb_ or something outrageous like that.

"Ooh! I've always wanted to know what these taste like!" a shorter, brown-haired woman standing very close behind Pam squealed as she reached out to take one of the flavored condoms from the vending rack at the edge of the counter. "Look Pammie, they're Hello Kitty's!" she giggled girlishly.

Pam rolled her eyes at the woman, but with a fond smile all the same. "Take one, you can pretend it's gum!" she snorted. "Sookie, this is my significant other Amelia Broadway. Amelia this is Sookie Stackhouse," she made the introductions while waving expensive sunglasses between them.

"Hi! It's so great to meet you!" Amelia stretched her arm over the counter and around Pam.

"Hi…" Sookie shook her hand, still a little flustered. "Like…wise…" she eyed Pam again and reached for the next item, which was a bag of Cheetos. "Really?" she frowned dubiously at her.

"Well we had to _buy_ something!" Pam shrugged. "I don't even shop for myself! She does it all..." she gestured over at Amelia, who was still entertained by the colored packs of flavored condoms.

"Uh huh…" Sookie grabbed the next item, which was a pair of kitchen pliers, and the last item, a gardening magazine.

"That one's for Ames…" Pam shrugged. "We have a lovely little apartment greenhouse!"

"Are you going to take any of the… uh…" Sookie pointed embarrassedly at the condoms before using her hand to nervously push some hair behind her ear.

"Ooh!" Amelia hurried to pick one, and tossed it on the belt.

"Raspberry, huh?" Pam arched an eyebrow at her.

"What? It's a sexy fruit!" Amelia shrugged.

Sookie suppressed a snort as she finished registering their purchases. "That will be 32.75."

Pam handed over her credit card and started checking her nails. "We'll be waiting for you in the parking lot."

"O…kay…" Sookie wheeled the machine around for Pam to input her password. "What is this about?"

"Just some pre-party girlie fun!" she winked at her.

"Pam, the party's next week!" Sookie said between clenched teeth, leaning closer so no one would hear them.

"I know! We need to prep you!"

"Ugh… is this going to be some Bridget Jones's Diary-inspired-montage where I get my hair done, a mani-pedi and fall off the elliptical on my face?"

"Exactly!" Pam beamed at her.

"The waxing, don't forget the waxing!" Amelia whispered next to her, causing Pam to laugh.

Sookie rolled her eyes. "Great. Do I at least get my own Colin Firth too?"

Pam winked at her as she grabbed her bags. "I'll see what I can do! Later girl."

Amelia stopped in front of Sookie before following Pam and said. "We're just teasing Sookie. All that stuff is for next week!" she added in a whisper.

Sookie watched them go and turned to the next customer, dreading whatever was coming tonight – she was already regretting agreeing to the whole thing. Niall had been so excited though, because he believed Pam's theory about the Charity Auction being the best way to discreetly insinuate Sookie into not only Claude and Claudine's lives, but to the people who would find out about it anyway and make a huge deal out of it behind her back if it happened "behind the curtains".

The past ten days hadn't been any more less bizarre – even if she hadn't encountered anything more alarming than Jason's broken window or Felton Norris waiting for her in dark corners. Everything was still pretty much upside down regardless.

Hoyt had gone with her to Jason's house and taken a look around, he said as far as he could tell, nothing was missing. But really who else could know but Jason himself? Hoyt had been as shocked as Tara when she told him about Niall and her father's true parentage. He was also pretty surprised Jason had never told him anything. Jason had a penchant for revealing his secrets when he drank too much – and no one had seen Jason Stackhouse drunk more often than Hoyt Fortenberry.

Sookie knew it was only a matter of time before the entire town knew, but she also knew she could count on Tara and Hoyt to not be the ones to spread the story. She supposed it would all get out after this Charity thing – after all, Bon Temps did get the Shreveport tabloids. She still wasn't sure she could deal with all that, she often thought about calling Pam and cancelling everything, but then she remembered she really did want to meet the Cranes, if anything so she'd get a glimpse of the man who might have put a hit on her father so many years ago.

Turning her back on this whole thing because she didn't want to deal with it just wasn't smart, no matter how unpleasant it looked to put up with so much unwanted change. It was best to just go with it, and be aware of what was going on around her, to be better prepared if things took a turn for the worst.

In the locker room, she told Tara about her visitors and, while her friend looked curious, she didn't ask to be introduced. Tara had been great about the whole thing. She hadn't pestered her for more information or tried to influence her one way or another, she just offered her ears whenever she needed them. So when it was time to get out, they said goodbye at the door, and Tara took the way to the bus stop, while Sookie headed for the parking lot.

In the fading day light, the sight of Pam Ravenscroft in an impeccable grey pantsuit, eating Cheetos out of a bag while leaning against a pristinely white Porsche, was just a little bit absurd, and she couldn't help but shake with laughter as she approached them lazily.

"Is it a Hybrid too?" she nodded at the car.

"Yep!" Amelia said proudly. "We're all about green cars!"

"Yeah… Eric told me…" Sookie eyed Amelia curiously. "What is it that you do?"

"I'm an Environmental Scientist."

"Oh, that's pretty cool!"

"Let's get inside and talk about how cool this is with air conditioning!" Pam suggested, turning around to open the backseat door for Sookie.

Sookie looked around, wondering who had her tonight. She saw Chow's car at the other end of the parking lot, and she could see he was reading again.

"Does he know you guys are here?"

"Yep! Come on in."

* * *

Sookie led the way into her third-floor apartment feeling a little self-conscious. She closed the door after Pam and Amelia had stepped in, and watched them a little strickenly as they looked around the near-entirety of her house – living room, kitchen and 'dining room' all in one economic space, furnished with hand-me-downs and flea-market items.

"This is cozy!" Pam said as she spun around, taking a look, the bags in her hands swinging noisily as she did.

"You know, this takes me back!" Amelia said with a reminiscing air as she looked around.

"Does it?" Sookie asked curiously.

"Oh yes! I lived in an apartment much like this back in New York! Except I had a roommate!" she made a face. "A straight guy… he was messy!" she shuddered.

"Bob?" Pam asked curiously a she walked closer to Sookie's kitchen.

"Yep!"

"Uh… please sit down!" Sookie pointed to the couch, still feeling a bit surreal.

Amelia promptly plunked herself in the middle of the couch while Pam still went around peeking at everything, her shopping bags swinging around with her.

"So uhm… what are our plans?" Sookie asked, still standing by the front door, tugging at the strap of her purse nervously.

"Well _you_ will go take a shower. I have a few stuff for you to try on…" she pointed at the shopping bags dangling for her other hand. "Amelia and I will take care of dinner. Just point us to your phone and take out menus!"

Sookie blinked at her at a loss for minute, her eyes dropping to the bags. "What are those?"

"Options!"

"For the Charity Auction!" Amelia added with an excited smile.

"O..kay…" Sookie frowned. "I guess my _little black dress_ won't do it." She walked to the little dresser where she kept her take out menus and handed them to Pam. "It's uhm… just pizza… I don't get a lot of take out."

Pam and Amelia made faces at each other and then Amelia beamed and reached for her phone.

"We have the internet! Don't worry! Do you like Chinese food?"

"Uhm… yeah…"

"Good, shower then, I can't have you trying these while smelling like supermarket, go!" Pam shooed her away.

When Sookie came out of the shower, wearing a t-shirt and sweat-shorts, her hair still damp, hanging down her back, she walked in on Pam and Amelia in her kitchen, getting food out of the little containers and chatting animatedly to each other. She had to pause and shake herself a little.

"Oh, Sookie! We need a cork opener for this!" Amelia lifted the cheap bottle of wine they'd purchased.

"Oh it's in the drawer behind you."

"Thanks!"

Amelia poured wine for the three of them and then took of generous sip of her own as they sat on the stools around the counter. "You know, this wine takes me back too!" she laughed.

"So, how did you two meet?" Sookie asked them curiously.

"Oh, we met years ago!" Pam said in a scoff. "Was it… freshman year?"

"Yep!" Amelia smiled. "We were in sorority together!" Amelia waggled her eyebrows.

"Really?" Sookie chuckled. "In New York?"

"Yep!" Amelia sighed. "We lost touch after that, for a while."

"Yes, we did…" Pam nodded. "I moved to the South when Eric's Dad got sick, and Mom was a little desperate."

"Two years ago we ran into each other in Shreveport!" Amelia added. "I had joined a team who had just gotten this amazing grant for a project I was really interested in!"

"And the rest was history!" Pam rolled her eyes. "Literally."

Sookie smiled watching the two of them. They were so different, but that was what was fascinating about them together, she supposed.

"But where did you guys get married?"

"New York, of course," Pam snorted. "It was a worthy trip."

"We did a lot of shopping," Amelia nodded.

"Eat up, we have much to do!" Pam urged her. "My God, this wine's awful!"

"Shut up, it tastes like my past!" Amelia protested.

Twenty minutes later, Sookie walked out of her bedroom wearing the first of Pam's _options_ for the party, while Pam and Amelia sat on her couch waiting. They looked up at her cryptically before quickly shaking their heads and agreeing it was not the one. Sookie sighed and went back in to try the next one. She tried maybe ten different dresses – all of them pretty in her opinion – some more extravagant and flashy than others.

Sookie noticed the flashy ones were the ones Pam and Amelia immediately said no to. She started getting a grip for what Pam was looking for, and it was then she realized she really should trust Pam. She was not trying to oversell her.

In the end, the dress that received full approval as a gauzy white dress that felt light as feathers. It had a crossover neckline, and the fabric was full of delicate drapes and shirring. The dress was definitely understatedly elegant.

"You like me in cap sleeves…" Sookie noted lightly, remembering Gran's dress. The dress would have pleased her Gran very much too, except she'd have gone for a more modest neckline – so perhaps Pam and Gran would have gotten along.

Pam laughed. "It looks cute on you."

"I love it, Sookie! You look very… _nouveau riche_!"

Sookie rolled her eyes. "Please…" she brushed her skirt unnecessarily, suddenly feeling all wrong about the whole thing again.

She was no _nouveau riche_ – she didn't fit the description, and she wasn't in it for any inheritance either. Niall hadn't broached the subject of money so far, and for that, she was grateful. The minute he did, she could see herself running miles not to have to get into that. _Nouveau riche_ was not what the tabloids were going to say about her. They were going to be all dramatic and liken her to Anastasia, the lost heiress or something worse.

"Give me your shoe size, and I'll procure something for you later!" Pam said offhandedly as she started making notes. "We'll schedule hair and makeup for you, so don't worry about that and…"

"Pam…" Sookie interrupted. "I don't need that…. I think I can take care of my own hair and makeup."

"Sookie, _we_ don't even do our own hair and makeup for stuff like this!" Amelia argued. "Don't feel weird about this, it's a normal thing."

"Listen to Amelia…" Pam nodded. "When I met her, she was just as awkward about this kind of living as you are now."

Sookie looked at Amelia dubiously even as she nodded profusely.

"I went to the University to study science Sookie – the only reason I'm with Pam is because she makes way more money than I do!" she added with a wink.

"Hey now!" Pam elbowed her playfully. "I do more for you than that!"

"Yeah you do!" Amelia winked suggestively at her.

Sookie rolled her eyes and started turning around to go back into her room. "Fine. Whatever. Sign me up for pampering then!"

"Good girl!" Pam shouted after her.

She took another peek in the mirror before she changed back into her t-shirt and shorts. The dress was really pretty, and she'd liked it perhaps a bit too much. She sighed and brushed it away. She hoped she could get used to this the way Amelia had – right now, she just felt exactly like Anastasia, or Cinderella, and she didn't quite like it.

"Yes, fine, I'll tell her…" Pam was saying into the phone as Sookie walked back out. "Bye."

"We had fun tonight, Sookie!" Amelia grabbed her hands gently. "And I'm sorry for the invasion!" she winked. "When Pam told me about you, I knew I should get in and help! What you're going through must be too much at times."

"Oh… uhm… yeah… thanks Amelia…" Sookie squeezed her hands back. She actually was happy she'd met Amelia, she made Pam more human to be around somehow.

"So we're off," Pam said, going into P.A. mode again. "I have to talk to you about something important."

"Ok…" Sookie watched her warily now.

"That was Eric on the phone. Would you be willing to talk to your brother about recanting his confession?"

Sookie scratched the back of her neck uncomfortably. "Hey, _someone_ needs to try right? Yeah, I'll do it… I'm not sure he's going to do it though. Can it even be done?"

"Mr. Cataliades says there are a few ways to get it out there."

"And do they involve throwing Crystal Norris under the bus?" Sookie asked. "Yeah, he's not gonna do it."

"Perhaps… you should talk to Crystal first…" Pam suggested.

"And tell her what?" Sookie shrugged.

"Convince her to come with you."

"You _do_ know Felton Norris might try to kill me for that, right?"

"Right! That's what I was supposed to tell you!" Pam grinned. "Felton Norris was arrested tonight," Pam winked. "Eric will be here to pick you up in the morning on Saturday." Pam started heading for the door. "Mr. Cataliades will be there waiting for you too." Pam paused at the door. "I'm also serious about Crystal Norris… if you think she'd help get him out… talk to her."

Sookie nodded quietly, her mind already over thinking everything it possibly could.


	21. Chapter 21

**21.**

August 30, 2013

She opened the door to a skittish looking Crystal Norris, waiting on the other side with a bit of a fight or flight air about her. Crystal was shorter than average, and small of frame – it made her look very fragile and breakable. Her pale blonde hair was very thin and sleek, and she was quite pretty, even if the hardships of her life were marked everywhere on her skin, and on the circles under her eyes.

"Hi…" Sookie said uncertainly at the door. "Come on in…"

Crystal tried a confident smile and nod before she walked in. Sookie closed the door and turned to see her standing uncertainly in her living room, looking around a little at a loss.

"Thank you for coming," Sookie started. "Would you like some coffee or… iced tea?"

Crystal smiled, bobbing her head up and now. "Iced tea would be nice… it's very hot…" she fanned herself.

Sookie smiled and led the way to the kitchen counter. She poured two glasses with plenty of ice for them both and sat across from her, waiting for her to take a long, refreshing gulp before she started.

"Crystal… why did you try to call me four weeks ago? What did you want to talk to me so badly about on that Sunday… that stopped being important on Monday?"

Crystal had dropped her eyes to the counter between them, and her hands trembled for a moment before she busied them with toying with the sweat drops on her glass. Sookie thought she'd have to prod her again, but then she watched her as she took a deep, steadying breath, and waited.

"I thought Felton was coming to mess with you…" she shrugged. "I called like… five times, but I got nothing. I just hoped it wasn't because you were already dead…" she made a face. "Then I heard Felton coming back and, I know when he's done something bad because he acts all crazy, and he was just normal so I figured… he changed his mind and decided to leave you alone."

"He did try to mess with me…" Sookie told her and Crystal immediately paled. "He came with his car at me… would have probably run me over but… well some other car just… stopped him. While they were all having a big fight on the street I got away."

"Oh my God…" Crystal dropped her face between her hands for a moment. "Sookie, I'm so sorry! He's not always crazy like this, I swear!"

"I heard he's been arrested…" Sookie said casually.

"Yeah…" Crystal sighed. "Something happened at this gas station store – they said he stole something. He swears up and down he didn't do it, but they have cameras and all. You know how he has a short fuse that one… the store owner confronted him and he sort of went all crazy and pulled a knife on him…" Sookie's eyebrows arched. "Yeah… they got him good. He told them he was just kidding around, it had been a dare, but the cops didn't listen."

"Well he did pull a knife on someone…" Sookie pointed out.

"Yeah… he's really stupid."

Sookie sighed, knowing the guy was more than just really stupid. But at least now she had confirmation that Crystal _had_ been trying to warn her – so maybe she wasn't all bad. Maybe she did really care about Jason, and maybe she didn't try to protect him because of the sort o abuse she probably had to deal with at home. She'd overlooked that when she lost her temper with her at the town fair. She'd been too angry to remember that. But Jason had told her how things hadn't been easy for Crystal, and she should have been more sympathetic, she was just too mad to care then.

"Crystal, the reason I called you here is that I want you to help me help Jason."

Crystal blinked, confused, but then she nodded. "Help him how?"

"You need to come with me to convince Jason to recant his confession of guilt."

"Recant?" Crystal asked weakly.

"That is to take something back… we need him to admit he didn't do it."

Crystal looked down between them, tears welling up in her eyes. "I don't think that's a good idea…"

"Crystal…" Sookie shook her head at her.

"He'll be out in a few months anyway…"

"Yeah with a criminal record!" Sookie snapped in a way that made Crystal flinch. "Doesn't that matter to you?"

"Of course it does!" Crystal said in a small voice. "But…"

"But what? It means your father goes to jail? It means your cousin goes to jail? _Good_! They _should_ go to jail! Because they _actually did it_!"

"I should go…" Crystal said with trembling lips and her eyes down as she pulled away from the counter.

"Crystal, _please_…." Sookie added a bit more gently. "My brother won't listen to me… because he doesn't want _you_ to suffer! Look how much he cares about you! Are you just going to just let him do this?"

Crystal seemed to be having a hard time holding her tears, and she blurted something unintelligible before she worked the lock on the front door and darted out into the hall – the door slammed back soundly and Sookie sighed, sagging back against the counter.

Well she hadn't really been expecting anything different, hoping maybe, but not truly expecting it.

She heard another doorknob rattling and she looked up as Eric emerged from her bedroom, making no comment as he stepped out and closed the door behind him. She'd almost forgotten he was there.

"Well that went well, right?"

"It couldn't really have gone any other way," Eric said simply.

"Then why did you have me do it?" Sookie nearly snapped, standing up straight and now feeling a little ridiculous for having even tried.

"It was Pam's suggestion," Eric explained. "I don't think she took her circumstances in consideration."

"You think _I_ didn't take her circumstances in consideration?" Sookie asked irritably.

"I think your focus is in _your_ circumstances," Eric shrugged. "You had to try."

"OK, what are these circumstances I so _selfishly_ ignored?" Sookie put her hands on her hips and her chin jutted out.

"If Calvin and Felton Norris go to prison, and, I'd wager they'd go for a long time once the extent of their crimes are dug up in investigations that would likely take place if Jason's recanted confession happens, Crystal and the rest of the family, who, I understand, are all underage, would be without their two biggest income providers," Eric explained in a kind tone. "It's not something she could live with, bringing that upon her family."

There was nothing Sookie could say right now that wouldn't come out as completely defensive or childish, so she said nothing. She turned around to dispose of the tea glasses in the sink.

"OK, so this whole thing was an exercise in wasting our times…" she finally spoke, turning back around, drying her hands on her the front of her shirt. "We're going to the Correctional Center just the two of us tomorrow… to waste just a bit more of our time when my brother refuses to recant." She looked away from him as he was doing that thing with his eyes again where he looked like he knew what she was thinking. "Maybe Niall should just give this up and deal with the fact he has a convicted great-grandson. He had _no_ great-grandson just weeks ago, so I'm sure he can deal with it."

She started going about the apartment, wiping surfaces that needed no wiping and adjusting ornaments that needed no adjustment. She felt foolish. For caring, for trying, for wanting Jason to just _not_ be in prison. She didn't like being called insensitive either.

The whole time she felt his eyes on her, and then she was angry that he was looking at her. She was angry that he was _there_ – and that he was probably aware of how embarrassed she currently felt too.

"I… will come back tomorrow to pick you up at six."

His voice interrupted her thoughts and she straightened up from where she had been dusting off her center table and she turned to face him without really looking him in the eyes. She nodded, brushing some hair out of her face.

"OK."

She watched from her peripheral as Eric walked to the door, grabbed the handle and then stopped. She looked at him sideways warily.

"Chow'll be with you today – if you need him."

"Felton's locked away," Sookie shrugged. "Why does anyone need to be here?"

"We're still not entirely sure you're not being targeted by people sent by Warren Realtors," Eric explained patiently.

Sookie huffed through her nose and nodded. "OK."

Eric looked like he wanted to say something else but refrained. "I'll see you tomorrow Sookie… have a good day."

Sookie waved at him and went back to cleaning, waiting until she'd heard the door close to flop down on her couch and tug at her hair and count to ten.

* * *

Out in the hall, Eric was doing his own counting. He closed his eyes and grabbed at the back of his neck with one hand and squeezed, feeling every tense muscle in his body. He counted to five – so he wouldn't just turn back around, walk into that apartment, throw that woman against a wall and kiss her stupid. It would be easier than to explain to her he was on her side.

Impulses like those were meant to be beaten down and he was hard at work at it. Sookie was testing his limits like no one ever had. Maybe she'd been hired to watch _him_ and not the other way around.

He stopped at the top of the stairs and noticed the faint throb inside his head. Fortunately he had aspirins for that. He walked down the steps slowly, forcing himself to calm down. Just as he reached the bottom step of the second flight of stairs, the door to Holly Cleary's house opened and she stepped out, stopping uncertainly at the sight of him there, as she adjusted her purse strap on her shoulder.

"Oh… hi!" Ms. Clearly smiled politely as she recovered herself, and proceeded to lock her front door. "Mr. Northman, right?"

Eric nodded, smiling. "How are you, Ms Cleary?"

"Oh, I'm good. How are _you_?"

"Just great, thank you."

"Say, you're not from around here, are you?" Holly asked curiously.

"No. I'm originally from New York, but I have been living in Louisiana for a while now – most recently in Shreveport."

"Ah, yes!" she nodded curiously. "What is it that you do Mr. Northman?"

"I'm a Chief of Security," he said honestly.

Holly stared at him open mouthedly for a moment. He knew she was trying to connect imaginary dots in her head, to try and find the connection between him and Sookie. He wasn't going to help her with that. Soon, she would know anyway.

"Oh that's… ah… nice.." Holly said finally, being too polite to prod further. "Were you leaving?" she gestured towards the door to the front steps.

"Yes, I was. Let me…" he strode to hold it open for her. "Ms. Cleary."

"Thank you!" she thanked him shyly, going ahead of him.

He stepped out and bid her a good day, he gave Chow across the street a brief nod and then walked back to his car, which he'd parked further down, next to the cemetery wall.

"Pam…" Eric called his step-sister as soon as he made it behind the wheel.

"_How did it go?_" she went straight to business.

"Like I said it would… badly. The girl won't help, she has her own problems to think about."

"_I could care less about her problems!"_ Pam growled. _"Damn it!"_

"Well there's nothing we can do. If Jason doesn't see it for himself that he can get out of this because he didn't do it… well then… Niall and Sookie will just have to wait until he's out."

"_Speaking about his getting out. How do you think Jason will take to the news Niall is the one trying to help him? How do you think he'll react to Niall wanting a relationship with him and his sister?"_

"From what I know about him… he won't be as approachable as his sister."

There was a deep sight at the other side. _"Yes, that's what I feared. Sookie told me what he's like… I just hoped you had some optimism to offer."_

Eric smiled. "Sorry, I have none to give."

"_How did Sookie take Crystal Norris's refusal."_

"She's… very upset."

"_I'll call her in the evening – and have a chat with her."_

"You do that…"

"_Are you coming for dinner tonight?"_ Pam asked in a lighter tone. _"Amelia is working late, so we can have all the shellfish we want without her rolling her eyes in disgust at us."_

Eric chuckled. "I'd like that."

"_Good…I'll see you then."_

Eric tossed his phone on the passenger seat and tossed his head back, pinching the bridge of his nose with his finger and thumb. He counted again – reminding himself he had no place being selfish like he wanted to be.

* * *

Sookie made it home a little later than usual, she didn't bother turning on the lights. She simply dropped her purse by the couch and flopped down on her back, putting her feet up on the cushions after kicking off her shoes. She threw an arm over her head and just stared at the dark ceiling above her head.

She kept thinking about what she would say to her brother tomorrow – and nothing sounded convincing to her. She knew her brother and his stubbornness. She also didn't know how to tell him about Niall. It was all too much.

She had been lying there for a while when her phone rang, and as she checked the caller she was curious to know what Pam had to say now.

"Hi Pam."

"_Hey kiddo. Tough day, huh?"_

Sookie chuckled. "I take it Eric told you she said no."

"_He did, and it's a shame."_

"Well it was worth a shot. But I don't think anyone could convince my brother now."

"_Well how about his sister?"_

"Oh Pam, he didn't listen to me three months ago, he won't listen to me now. He's either really in love with this girl, or he feels too sorry for her to do the right thing."

"_Perhaps he needs to know how all of this has been hard on his sister."_

"What about Crystal?"

"_Jason can think about different ways of helping her if he's out of jail, can he not?"_

"Yeah I guess…"

"_It's all a matter of perspective Sookie. No one is looking for the right ones, that's all."_

"Maybe _you_ should talk to him…" Sookie muttered.

Pam chuckled. _"You can make him listen, Sookie. Just put new perspectives out there. This shouldn't be about Crystal Norris."_

"I'll… sleep on it."

"_Good girl. I gotta get back to dinner. Eric and I are gorging on shellfish because Amelia doesn't let me eat them!"_ she sniggered.

"Oh… Eric's in Shreveport?" Sookie asked curiously.

"_For the night, yes. Don't worry he will be there on time."_

"Yeah, that's OK… g'night Pam."

"_Good night, Sookie. Rest your pretty head for me."_

Sookie hung up and forced herself to get up and get ready for bed. She was going to have a tough, tough morning tomorrow.


	22. Chapter 22

**22.**

August 31, 2013

It was the kind of room she'd only seen in movies – the long stone counter, divided in glass partitions, stools on each side, and the telephone receivers, so you could actually hear each other. Sookie stood in the doorway for a moment, squirming internally as she took everything in. There were a couple of people there already.

Shaking herself, she marched forward to her designated booth and took her seat. She watched as on the other side a door was opened and Jason stepped into the room.

A knot immediately lodged itself in her throat, it was that damned knot whenever her heart insisted she needed a good, hard cry and her brain disagreed. She took a deep steadying breath and forced her eyes to stay dry as her brother approached her, in a dull grey jumpsuit with a number on it – her stomach lurched. His hair was very very short, but he looked mostly the same. He smiled when he saw her there, and then there was a bounce to his step that hadn't been there before. He sat down eagerly and both reached for their phone receivers.

"Sook!" Jason beamed. "I can't believe you're here! I thought you were still mad at me!"

She wanted to say she _was_ still mad at him. But at first no sound came out of her at all. She just sat there and stared at her stupid brother and breathed – her eyes started stinging. Jason's smile tugged down a little at the corners when he saw her expression, and he sagged a little, scooting to the edge of his stool a little, a gentle expression taking over his face.

"Hey, Sook… it's OK… don't cry…"

"I'm not crying!" she finally said between clenched teeth, her nostrils flaring.

"There she is!" Jason chuckled. "I missed you…"

Sookie softened a little too, her tense shoulders relaxing a little. "I'm so still mad at you…"

"I know…" Jason smiled a little sadly. "You still love me though, right?" he grinned.

Sookie rolled her eyes. "Are you… are you alright?" her eyes roamed over what she could see of him, which wasn't much, he _looked_ fine.

"I'm good," Jason assured her. "Sookie I'm not even in the real bad boys corner…don't worry. I don't share a bunk bed with any homicidal maniacs."

"Well, considering Felton Norris _is_ a homicidal maniac and he would definitely belong in the same _corner_ as you, were he in prison like he _should _be… that is not very comforting."

"Well, there's no one like him where I am, relax." Jason paused, running his tongue between his lips while his eyes flitted around a bit, as though he was thinking about something. "How's things back home anyway? You doing OK?"

"I'm fine…" Sookie took a deep breath, and reminded herself there were reasons she was here. "Jason do you know anyone named Mack Rattray?" she checked off the first item on her list.

Jason blinked at her for a moment, probably surprised by the completely random topic of conversation. Then he sobered up a little, a flicker of recognition in his eyes.

"Mack Rattray? Yeah, I knew him."

"You did?" Sookie's breath hitched. "How? Who is he?"

Jason frowned, surprised by her reaction, then he shrugged. "He's just some guy, I don't _really_ know him. He was in the Relief Group at church. I'd seen him in a couple of meetings. Why?"

"He was in that church group?" Sookie scrunched up her nose. "Are you sure?"

"Uh… that's where I know him from, so yeah, I'm pretty sure!" Jason shook his head at her. "Sookie, what's going on, why are you asking me about Mack Rattray?"

"He broke into your house."

"What?" Jason snapped.

"Yeah, he was there – he broke the window in your bedroom and got in."

"Did he take my TV?" Jason asked angrily.

Sookie rolled her eyes. "No, Jason, because you'd need two more people to move that thing!"

"Well good! What did he take then?"

"Honestly? I don't know. I had Hoyt look in the house too, but neither of us could say if he took anything."

"Goddammit!" Jason squirmed in his seat. "What did the police say?"

Sookie hesitated. "They're working on it…"

"Well good!"

Sookie took a deep breath. "Jason… I brought a lawyer with me today. Mr. Cataliades. He says he can work on an angle to get you out of here – but he needs you to recant your confession. I came here to ask you to _please_ do this."

Jason frowned. "A lawyer? Sookie I told you I didn't want you wasting no money on lawyers! I'll do my time, we talked about this…"

"Jason you are innocent!"

"Sook…" Jason looked pained. "I know you don't get it. I know you're mad at me, but I knew what I was doing, Ok?"

"You're taking the fall for Calvin and Felton Norris!"

"And for Crystal… and she's all that matters OK? She's got no one in her corner!"

"Well, then who's in _my_ corner now, Jason?" Sookie's voice raised just a little, and she could feel moisture gathering in her eyes again.

"Sook…" Jason softened, trying to scoot closer again. "Don't be like this… I _am_ doing this for you too, OK? I wouldn't want those people to get vengeful and try to hurt you to get to me!"

"Well you being _in here_ doesn't stop that at all! Felton Norris tried to run me over with his fucking car nearly four weeks ago!" she snapped.

Jason paled visibly while his eyes widened and his jaw slackened. "What?" he blurted after a moment.

"What you heard!" Sookie snapped. "So _there_. Nice job being in _my_ corner!"

She shut her mouth and clenched her teeth. She knew she was being a bit cruel and maybe that was a low blow, but it looked like Jason had finally listened. He was staring at her with distant eyes and an open mouth, holding the receiver to his ear.

"Does Crystal know?" Jason asked in a surprisingly cool voice.

Sookie hesitated, taking in her brother's sudden shift. "Yeah… she did… and she actually tried to warn me about him. I had… lost my temper with her when I ran into her at the town fair. I… said some stuff to her face and… Felton and Calvin Norris heard me…" Jason closed his eyes tightly shut and hung his head. "The night after that… Felton was waiting for me, parked on my street…" she swallowed.

"I'll talk to your lawyer," Jason said, determined.

Sookie blinked incredulously. "You… you will?"

"Yeah… if he finds a way to make it happen… I'll talk to him."

Sookie gaped at her brother – she hadn't actually expected him to do it. She quickly brushed the now _happy_ tears that threatened to fall and sniffled, nodding her head fiercely. "I'll go tell him…"

"He's not… costing you a lot, is he?" Jason asked, making a worried face when Sookie started to move to get up.

She hesitated and swallowed. Mr. Cataliades, who'd she met just outside – had told her to leave those details about Niall to him – she was actually relieved she wasn't the one who had to do this. She cleared her throat.

"He's not costing me anything at all…" Jason frowned. "I'll go so you get enough time with him… thank you for listening to reason, Jase…" she added softly, pressing her lips to her fingers and then to the glass between them with a small smile.

She walked to the door while steadying herself, blinking her eyes and making sure there was not a hint of moisture in them before she stepped outside. Mr. Cataliades stood from the chair where he had been sitting, next to Eric, and met her in the middle of the way.

"Will he speak to me?"

"Yes!" Sookie smiled, still not quite believing herself. "He will."

"Good!" Desmond Cataliades smiled reassuringly at her. "Let me get to work then…" he looked around. "I'll have to talk to someone first."

"Should I wait?" Sookie asked uncertainly.

"No, Miss Stackhouse. You should go home, once I have news I will call you myself, or Ms. Ravenscroft will." He signaled to Eric who stood, fixing his jacket. "Good job today, Miss Stackhouse…" he patted her shoulder lightly. "Excuse me."

Sookie watched him walking towards a desk at the end of the room and then turned when she felt Eric at her side.

"Ready to go?" Eric asked her and he had a little smile on his face.

She smiled back. "Yeah… I am…"

She felt almost happy as they walked outside in the sun of the Correctional Center. She felt pleasantly lighter and hopeful, not feelings she was accustomed to since Jason's arrest. She could feel Eric walking closely behind her and she slowed down until they were side by side.

"I have something for you too, actually…" she remembered.

Eric looked at her curiously. "Did he know Mack Rattray?"

"Barely. He said he's in the church relief group – you know, the one that took him to Hotshot in the first place. I hope that helps you some…"

"It does…" Eric nodded, looking thoughtful as he put his sunglasses on. "Who do I talk to at that Church?"

"Amy Burley is one of the coordinators. She'll know everyone who was in that group."

"So they weren't friends?"

"No. He just knew his name because of the group."

"Very well. It's a start. Good job."

Sookie shrugged. "Glad I could help."

They reached Eric's car and he pulled the door open for her. Sookie snorted and shook her head, getting inside. She was still giddy about the whole thing.

"Seatbelt…" Eric reminded her when he got inside.

"Is Cataliades really good?" she asked as she struggled to tug the seatbelt from behind her.

"He is one of the best," Eric said as he started the car. "Hungry?"

"Yeah."

"Burger or fish?"

"What do you think?"

"Burgers it is…"

* * *

As dusk fell, a soft drizzle started to pour, the rhythmic beat of the water drops against the roof was always one of Sookie's favorite sounds. She came out of her shower, drying her hair on a towel and smiling as she enjoyed the unexpected soundtrack.

She tossed the towel in the hamper and tightened the sash on her cotton robe before she flopped down the bed on her belly, with her laptop in front of her. She decided to catch up on some school work. For the next three hours she worked hard on her studies, and only stopped to check a text message when her phone chirped. She looked it up curiously – it was from Pam.

"_Your brother sure gave Desmond quite a sweat. He was not keen on the whole Niall part, but he's going to do it. I don't know what you said. But good job. Go out and celebrate! I will."_

Sookie smiled at the message. She was growing really fond of Pam. The thought of her going out to celebrate something personal _to her_ was touching. She knew Pam was _professionally_ happy about it, but it was still touching.

She got up and put her laptop away, it was already making that dreadful overheating noise anyway. She changed into a breezy sundress and walked out of her room to see what she should fix for herself for dinner. She poked into her fridge and made herself a couple of sandwiches. She was standing on her sink, methodically composing the most delicious turkey sandwich she could when a thought crossed her mind. She glanced through the window curiously, leaning over to see the cars on the street. She couldn't see any familiar ones that didn't belong to the neighbors – but she knew better.

She ate one of the sandwiches and put the other one in a Ziploc bag. She grabbed a beer from her fridge and grabbed her keys. The rain had stopped, but it certainly made the night fresh and muggy, and she enjoyed the breeze ruffling her skirt against her thighs and blowing her hair over her shoulders. She loved nights like these in the summer.

She found Eric's car parked next to the cemetery wall and jaunted across the street proudly. She couldn't see him with the windows closed, but she imagined him shaking his head as she walked around the front of his car. She heard the _click_ that indicated the lock going up and grinned, pulling the door open. She plunked herself down the passenger seat unceremoniously and handed him the Ziploc bag and beer wordlessly.

"A beer? Is that responsible?" Eric teased her.

"You're not _driving_, you're just parked here!" she shrugged. "I'm guessing Chow won't be here until tomorrow anyway."

Eric didn't answer and simply opened his beer and took a healthy sip.

"Or… maybe he _is_ here and you _just got here_ to relive him!" Sookie narrowed her eyes as she tried to guess. "Coz' I saw you drive in the opposite direction when you brought me back from seeing Jason earlier today…" Sookie tapped her lip as she thought some more. "Are you just gonna tell me where is your new hiding spot?"

"Nope," Eric bit into his sandwich.

Sookie sighed dramatically. "Then I go ahead pretending I don't know you're just in one of the apartments across the street from me." Eric arched an eyebrow curiously at her and Sookie grinned. "Oh, come on, where else could you be? The lodging is the obvious place!"

"Apartment 3B. Don't bring Chow food in there, or he'll never leave."

Sookie laughed. "I _knew it_!"

"You _are_ very smart."

Sookie rolled her eyes. "You just weren't telling me to tease me." Eric shrugged. "Is Chow there right now?"

"Yep. You were right, I was coming to switch with him."

"Can I see the place?" Sookie asked eagerly.

"What about keeping a low profile?"

Sookie shrugged. "Everyone's gonna know after next week, just let me see the _headquarters of snoopery_!"

She heard the lock clicking open again and grinned before turning around and pushing her door open. She climbed out, while Eric lazily stalled getting out of the car. She rolled her eyes at him and followed him across the street. He tossed the Ziploc bag and beer bottle in the trash before leading to the entrance of the _Willow Street Lodging_.

Sookie had never being inside the building before and she looked around curiously. In the lobby there was a wooden partition with windows on each side, behind it, sat the owner Liam, who Sookie had seen often. He nodded curiously at them both, but said nothing as Eric lead the way to the stairs. The building was old and it had no elevator. They were on the third floor, which made sense, since she lived on the third floor across the street. Eric knocked, but just as a warning, he had keys and he used them to open the door.

"Oh hey!" Chow wheeled around on his chair, completely unsurprised. "Hi there Sookie!"

"Hey Chow…" Sookie waved. "Sorry I didn't bring you a sandwich."

"It's fine, I'm on my way home to eat some fine pizza anyway!" Chow vacated his seat, standing up.

It was a larger room than she'd expected. And there were the obvious doors to a bedroom and bathroom. On the corner of the room they had the sink and double mouthed little stove. There wasn't much to the room – a desk with a computer, three chairs and an extra metal folding table on the corner, which she guessed was used for meals.

"You guys have a cozy spot…" she teased.

"I will say it's better than just sitting in a car for 12 hours…" Chow winked.

"So you're glad I busted you?' Sookie teased.

Chow looked sideways at Eric and cleared his throat when he gave him the high eyebrow. "Right, time for me to go!"

Sookie watched as the two men gave each other significant looks on the way to the door and she waved again when Chow beamed at her before Eric closed the door on his face. She shrugged, turning around to look out through the window. She could see the row house from there, and she could see her kitchen window. She realized, depending on where they stood, they could see her whenever she was doing the dishes or working the cutting meat board.

"This is… a little weird…"

"I know it is, and I'm sorry…" Eric said quietly.

She turned around to see him leaning against the computer desk with his hands on his pockets. He'd ditched his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, still looking annoyingly dashing and put together.

She shrugged. "Well it's not forever, right? It's what I keep telling myself."

"No, I don't believe it will be…" Eric agreed with a soft smile.

Sookie eyed the computer behind him curiously and looked around to make sure there was no evidence of recording devices. She knew there were no microphones or cameras in her house, but she couldn't help looking.

"So are those people still circling me at all?" she decided to ask.

"The two paid goons who we'd discovered earlier checked out of the hotel in Shreveport and we lost them since then. Ever since Niall had me talking to them nothing has happened."

"And… the people who _were_ paying them… are all gonna be at this Auction thing?"

"Colman Warren yes. But I think the one we need to be wary of is Gus Crane."

"Right…" Sookie started wringing her hands. "Do you really think he tried to have my father killed?"

"I don't know Sookie. I know he tried to bribe your grandmother. Everything else is just conjecture for now." he said carefully.

"When is it gonna stop being conjecture?" she asked patiently.

"Once we have more evidence…" Eric answered his eyes dropping between them. "And… I think his reaction to you will be a good indicator of whether we'll find anything or not. All of their reactions are important actually."

Sookie nodded, biting her lip as she frowned hard. "Niall said you discovered there had been an investigation after my father's hunting accident. Have you been able to look more into that?"

"Not yet. But I want to."

"And if you want to, why haven't you done it yet?" she cocked her head to the side curiously.

"I think Niall's afraid of what I might find," Eric said with a sad smile. "I'm also looking into how getting my hand on his file."

"My Dad's file?" Sookie guessed.

"Yes. It's archived and I need authorization to look into it. Obviously I can't. Even if I still had a badge I would not be in my jurisdiction. But I have been talking to some colleagues, and they'll see what they can do. All very discreetly, of course."

Sookie nodded, her eyes widening reflexively. Her father had a police file – it never occurred to her in her life. Her grandmother didn't talk about any investigation, this was all so strange.

"I should go back home." Sookie pushed away from the window awkwardly.

She felt Eric following her to the door and she turned to find him there with those eyes of his that told her nothing but seemed to always know how she felt.

"Pam texted me about Jason…" she fidgeted a little. "Do you still have someone in Hotshot?"

Eric blinked curiously and then nodded. "We still have someone keeping an eye on things. Felton Norris is bound to be set free soon."

Sookie nodded, trying not to think about that for the moment. "Do you think you could… tell your person… to keep an eye on Crystal?" she stared as Eric watched her. "You know… make sure she's safe?"

"Yes, I can do that," Eric smiled reassuringly.

"Thanks…" Sookie smiled back, feeling the little knot that had formed in her stomach dissolving. "Good night…"

"I'll be watching you…" Eric said as he held the door open for her.

Sookie chuckled, rolling her eyes. "Yeah… I know…"


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: I know you guys are anxious for the auction night with the Cranes and stuff - I promise this is the last chapter before we get to that. Xoxo.**

* * *

**23.**

September 2, 2013

There were around twenty people reunited in the church basement on Monday night. They gathered around several lined up picnic tables where donation items and care packages were being systematically boxed up. At the head of the table stood the group leader, Amy Burley. She was easy to spot because she wore a different colored shirt from everybody else – she was also clearly the one in charge.

She noticed the stranger almost immediately. She stopped what she was doing eyeing him suspiciously. It wasn't that he _looked_ suspicious – it was the he was being flanked by an actual police officer she knew very well – Kenya Jones, the first black police woman in Bon Temps. The man himself wore normal clothes, average height and average looks, but something about him screamed cop too and Amy stepped away from the table, searching Deputy Jones' face curiously.

"Miss Burley, how is the work this evening?" Kenya Jones asked amiably, sweeping her eyes around the rest of the room, while the stranger hung behind, watching everyone with interest.

"Hello Kenya!" Amy smiled brightly. "Everything's going great, as always!" she clasped her hands in front of her with a shrug. "What can I do for you tonight?" she asked, casting another suspicious glance at her new friend.

"Miss Burley, this is Jake Purifoy – he's a colleague from Shreveport our Police Department is cooperating with tonight," Kenya continued formally, angling her body to the side so the newcomer would join them. "He'd like to ask you some questions about a recruit of yours. Purifoy, this is Amy Burley."

"Miss Burley, it's very nice to meet you," Jake Purifoy stepped up with a bright smile, shaking her hand firmly.

"Nice… to meet you too… sir…" she finished awkwardly eyeing his plain clothes curiously. "Well if the local police is cooperating, I don't see why I shouldn't. What questions do you have for me?"

Jake Purifoy noticed some heads turning towards them, some conversations and some of the work coming to a slow stop as well. He turned back to Miss Burley, smiling gratefully before motioning to their left, where they could talk more privately. Kenya Jones stood back, but within hearing range.

"Is Mack Rattray a member of your group?"

Amy's eyes widened curiously before she nodded. "Mack? Yes, he's been with us for a little while, although… not lately," she continued looking over to the assembled people.

"Could you point out when he stopped coming to your meetings?" Jake Purifoy asked.

Amy rolled her eyes upwards for a moment. "A few weeks…"

"Did he give any explanation as to why he disappeared?" was the next question.

Amy eyed him a little strangely. "While we do value commitment we don't make a habit of chasing after our members unless they have very specific, mandatory tasks, Mr. Purifoy. When Mack stopped coming, I just assumed he had other things to do," she finished with a shrug.

"But do you have a contact form?" Jake asked meaningfully.

Amy Burley hesitated, glancing briefly at Kenya who raised an eyebrow at her.

"I would think the police would have this information?"

"The police does, but Mr. Rattray has no current address in Bon Temps," Mr. Purifoy smiled. "And he hasn't been to his apartment in Monroe in several months."

Amy Burley looked taken aback. "Oh… well…" she eyed Kenya, as if asking for help.

"Just give the man your little paper thing, Amy!" Kenya practically rolled her eyes.

Amy nodded and excused herself. Jake Purifoy waited and Kenya Jones stepped next to him.

"Thank you for that…"

"We went to school together, I had to try," Kenya shrugged.

"You know this is strange…" Amy said when she returned, eyeing the sheet of paper she had printed out. "When you said he didn't live in Bon Temps I was taken aback, because he did give us a local address…" she handed it over to him.

"Edgewood Lot, 308?" Purifoy eyed Kenya.

"That's a trailer park!" she snorted. "Owned by Sam Merlotte."

"The Bar & Grill guy?"

"The one and the same, he started expanding…" she shrugged. "Perhaps he bunked with someone living over there."

"May I ask what he's done that the Shreveport police is after him?" Amy looked between the two of them with her hands on her hips.

"Breaking and entering, Amy." Kenya said.

"Oh my God!" Amy covered her mouth dramatically. "Well his name is coming right off the list!"

"However, if he does show up again, being all altruistic, you'll let me know," Kenya said.

"Of course, Kenya!" Amy nodded fiercely.

"Did you notice if Mr. Rattray had any close friends in your church group?" Jake Purifoy asked.

Amy frowned, seemingly to be hard at work thinking. "Well we all try to promote friendliness and cooperation, Mr. Purifoy. I saw him chatting with a lot of people."

"Anyone in particular?" he prodded.

Amy hesitated. "Why don't you just tell me_ who_ you're thinking about?"

"I think this will be all," Jake Purifoy smiled. "Thank you very much for your cooperation, Miss Burley." He turned to Kenya and nodded. "Kenya…"

"Thank you and good evening, Amy," Kenya Jones said before following him out.

Outside they headed to their respective cars.

"Well, I'll be asking around the trailer park," Kenya said. "But tell me why exactly did this come to us through Shreveport? Why didn't Sookie call the cops when she noticed her brother's home was broken into?"

"That is somewhat of a personal, complicated matter, Kenya…" Jake Purifoy said vaguely. "We are of course happy to let you handle the matter of his arrest."

"Hmmhmm…" Kenya eyed him suspiciously. "You _will_ let me know if you come poking around again, Purifoy…"

"Of course Deputy Jones!"

"Good… Sheriff Dearborn ain't happy with this already."

"Well I hope you make it Sheriff one day, Kenya."

"Hah!" Kenya shook her head getting into her car.

* * *

In apartment 3B across the street from Sookie's home, Eric leaned next to the window, peering outside on the street while swirling a spoon into a mug of coffee. The street was deserted, late as it was – and as it had become obvious for several weeks now, no sign of Warren and Crane's envoys, and, with Felton Norris in prison, no sign of his old rusty car either.

He figured if Gus Crane really was at work in any capacity, he was playing dead at the moment. Sookie and Jason's _coming out_ publicly now was inevitable after all. But Niall, and Eric himself, refused to slacken security. When it came to greedy heirs, one should never be too careful, and Niall was at that age when most of his relatives were counting the minutes to see him go.

"Do you think I am being too dramatic?" Niall had asked him tiredly when they spoke earlier in his house that day.

"Too dramatic?" he'd asked him curiously from across his desk.

"Yes… too dramatic…" Niall sagged against his chair. "Claudine said I'm exposing both Sookie and Jason to a lot of public scrutiny… that people will find out about Jason when they hear who Sookie is and they'll talk on the papers about how he's in prison for meth dealing…" he'd shaken his head sadly. "I was so happy about Sookie… I completely forgot what a disaster this was going to be."

"Niall whether this happens when he's in or out of prison, tabloids will talk about it."

Niall had studied him for a moment. "I see Pam has talked you into the '_the old man is nearly dying, lets hurry this shit up while we can'_ camp…" he smiled at the end.

Eric had laughed. "Pam would never refer to you as an_ old man_." But he didn't deny any other part of it. "If you're worried about Sookie, I think she's used to people talking about her brother."

"Not _our_ kind of people…" Niall amended.

Eric lifted his eyes up to her window after he was done sweeping them up and down the street. Her lights weren't on, which meant she'd gone into her bedroom already. He checked his watch – it was still quite early, but he knew she turned in early during the week, so she could study in the mornings.

He thought about her in her bed, probably reading – he'd seen several mandatory-reading type books on her bedside table. And thanks to his informal use of her bedroom as a safe-hiding place when she had Crystal Norris over for a chat, he knew exactly what her bedroom looked like, it made it so much easier to picture her in there – which made his life a little bit more difficult.

She really liked pale yellow and earth tones - the old folded quilt on the back of her window-facing armchair was the only thing out of sync in her bedroom – and he guessed it was because it'd been made by her grandmother.

The room smelled like her and he'd never felt more like an intruder than he did in those twenty minutes hiding in there. It was too intimate, and what made it worse was that it was a degree of intimacy he personally craved. To know where she kept her moisturizing creams, her knick knacks, why she kept that old, hideous quilt, how could she smell so good if she didn't own perfume, what was her side of the bed. All inappropriate details that didn't concern him.

He often thought about what Sookie said to him the day she met Niall at the hotel. About how they wouldn't even have been friends if they'd met in other circumstances. He had to admit, realistically, she was probably right. A casual meeting wouldn't lead to mutual sharing of interests and then instant friendship.

But he also had to admit, had they met in other circumstances, he would have definitely wanted to be her dirty secret. He would have been attracted to her anyway, and knowing that it was reciprocal, he could imagine what would have happened. And then he didn't know what would have been the end of it. Perhaps she had been right and he would have eventually left and that would have been it.

But they met the way they met and, whether forced by their circumstances or not, he liked to think they were actually friends, at the very least friend_ly_ - in the way one can be friendly with the people they work for. And he liked that. She was pleasant company – she was funny, she was smarter than she gave herself credit for, and she was honest. So he was happy he met her that way – and judged it was probably a good thing that it created certain boundaries that prevented what could have been their encounter's natural course and end.

So he pushed his thoughts away from Sookie in her bedroom, and drank from his coffee, turning away from the window.

"Eric…" Chow said, turning in his chair in front of the computer and tossing him one of their phones. "It's Purifoy."

"Jake?" Eric said into the phone expectantly.

"_Hey Eric. I talked to your church lady."_

"And?"

"_You were right, he gave her a false address, a trailer park - Edgewood Lot 308. Deputy Jones mentioned it belongs to a Sam Merlotte. The locals are going to look into it, of course. But I doubt they'll find him waiting for arrest."_

"And comments on his possible relationship with Jason Stackhouse or anyone in that group?"

"_You asked me not to drop names, and that girl was a curious little thing, so obviously, nothing much useful. She says he was friendly with everybody."_

"I bet he would be if he was scouting for vulnerable victims," Eric deduced.

"_So we're thinking it's really just some common street rat?"_

"We're _hoping_ it's just some common street rat."

"_I hear ya."_

"Thanks for the help, Jake."

"_No problem, old friend. I'll let you know when I soften her up about that file."_

"Thanks, I appreciate it."

"_And good luck."_

"So?" Chow asked him curiously when he hung up.

"Edgewood Lot 308, it's a trailer park, I'm guessing the number is in reference to the location. Look it up, see if there's ever been a Mack Rattray living there or shacking up with anyone."

"Got it."

* * *

Around two-thirty in the morning, Sookie woke up from a bad dream. The funny thing was the moment she opened her eyes it was all gone, all that was left was that horribly uncomfortable feeling you get when you're trying to wake up from something you know is not real but feels extremely invasive anyway. She frowned at her ceiling as she wiped the sweat from her brow, trying to remember what it was. She knew Jason was in it, but that was all she remembered - really bad, negative feelings, and Jason.

She rolled on her side and pushed the sheets away, her skin feeling clammy, and then cold. She hope she didn't have a fever and it was just the bad dream getting to her. She threw her robe on and stepped into her bathroom to wash her face and neck. Then she walked over to her kitchen, not bothering with any lights. A cool glass of water usually did the trick to get her to sleep again.

She took big refreshing gulps and put the glass in the sink. Her eyes travelled naturally to the _headquarters of snoopery's _windowacross the street from her. The light was off, of course. But there was the faint glow that indicated some sort of light, probably from a computer screen or a side table lamp. She stared at it for a while trying to see a hint of something, or someone - and then she blinked, taken a back when she noticed the sudden flash of a light. She shook her head, thinking she'd imagined it. But then it happened again, and she leaned closer to the window.

She grinned when she noticed it was a cell phone light, which now was being waved around to get her attention. She looked around, but she had nothing to flash back at him. Then she had an idea, she turned around and jogged back to her bedroom in the dark, she grabbed her phone and called Eric as she headed back to the window. Somehow she knew it was him on the other side. Just as she took her post back by the window, he answered.

"_Miss Stackhouse?"_ he asked innocently, and his silky voice gave her cold, damp skin a different kind of shiver.

"What are you doing?" she asked him, whispering into the phone unnecessarily as she stared into the near black nothing of his apartment window.

"_I'm perving on Holly Cleary, downstairs from you."_

Sookie covered her mouth reflexively as laugh burst out of her at his unexpected answer. It took a moment for her to control herself.

"That would be difficult seeing as her bedroom window is facing the other side, like mine."

"_I'm patient. She could wake up for a glass of water too."_

"I suppose…" Sookie chuckled. "Where's Chow?"

"_Taking the night off. He's probably at the hotel. Why? Is this something you two do? Call each other and chat?"_

Sookie laughed. "No… it never occurred to me to do this before." She paused. "This looks like a very boring job. By the way, how did you see me? I kept my lights off…"

"_Night vision goggles."_

"Oh my God, you _have_ those?" she took a step back, tugging the collar of her robe closed tighter together, since she was naked underneath it.

Eric chuckled on the other side. _"Don't worry, I'm not using them right now. I caught some movement though, so I checked. It's how I know who's around the street too. I saw Cody Cleary sneak out earlier."_

"Really? What time?" Sookie asked curiously.

"_Around eleven. Some buddy of his showed up and the two of them rode away together. Don't worry, he came back about twenty minutes ago and went straight inside."_

"Oh…" Sookie didn't know what to think of that. Should she worry? Should she tell Holly? "Where do you suppose they went?"

"_It's Monday night, the only place I can think of that would serve at that hour is the Bowling Alley, or someplace where they wouldn't know him well enough to know his mother."_

"Oh…" Sookie pondered. "Are you thinking like a cop now?"

"_Like someone who once was a sixteen year old boy."_

"Yeah, you keep saying that."

"_It helps … knowing how kids think… to remember what it was to be one."_

"I suppose…" Sookie said, still a little worried about the whole thing. "Damn that kid…"

"_He's just being a boy."_

"Yeah, you were a cop, I bet you know a lot of horror stories that started with boys being boys and girls being girls!"

"_I... can't deny that."_

"No, you can't! Jason did shit like that, it drove Gran crazy."

"_And you never sneaked out on your grandmother?"_

"Ok… maybe _once_." Eric chuckled on the other side and she grinned. "Mostly I was just afraid to upset her. Jason was trouble enough for the both of us."

"_What did you do?"_

Sookie flushed, happy he couldn't see it, even if he was using his fancy night vision goggles. "Ah… the midnight prayer circle - what do you think?"

His laugh was long and contagious now and she laughed with him – she imagined his shoulders shaking, and she realized she'd never seen him like that at all, and she was now wishing she was the one with the fancy goggles.

"How about you? How many times did you sneak out on your parents?"

"_A few."_

"Mmmhmm…" she smiled into the dark night.

"_Shouldn't you be going back to bed?"_ he added after a moment.

Sookie rolled her eyes. "I would be if you hadn't flashed me… your cell phone…" she added quickly with a snort.

"_Oh, I'm glad I did, this was fun. But I don't want to keep you up."_

Sookie wanted to chat with him longer, but she knew that would be just asking for trouble. She had to dose her Eric-time or she'd try to kiss him again next time she saw him.

"Yeah, I'm actually feeling sleepy again. Thanks for the chat… and for… playing neighborhood watch, I think."

"_You're welcome."_

"Night, Eric," she said, already walking away from the window.

"_Good night, Miss Stackhouse."_


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: So I split the big night of the event into two chapters. Here goes the first part.**

* * *

**24.**

September 7, 2013

Sookie was no stranger to the whole _bride's day at the salon_ routine. Her Aunt Linda was a beautician, and she had worked in a number of them in any of the five nearest parishes. When she married her current husband, Aunt Linda made Sookie one of her bridesmaids, which meant she had to do the whole beauty salon all day long and no lunch thing – and she knew what those places were like and what the women who were there nearly every week were like. So Sookie was more or less mentally prepared to do it all over again for this event – except she wasn't counting on the fact Pam made appointments for her at some fancy type place in Shreveport, _not_ Bon Temps.

She'd shown up bright an early, honking outside her window in her fancy hybrid Porsche, causing the neighbors to poke their heads out on the street curiously. Sookie had been ready and waiting for her, so thankfully it didn't take them long to get out of there. She'd carefully packed her dress and put it back in the bag and worn denim rompers and sandals to get her through the day of what she called "war beautification" – much to Pam's amusement.

Chow had followed them around in his car, and it was still very weird to think of herself as possessor of a security detail – especially when she was going around doing such innocuous things as working the cash register, jogging, or getting a manicure.

Amelia met them at the Aesthetics Center and Sookie was happy to see her again. She was actually content to just sit down and let Pam and Amelia tell the people there what they wanted done to her. She didn't care.

Although the clientele there was obviously better off than most women she'd seen repeatedly at her Aunt Linda's salons in the past, the topics of conversation were much the same, with the added celebrity name thrown in here and there. She'd actually found it pleasantly distracting to listen to all the typical conversations to pass the time. In the end, she had to admit it was nice to feel her skin so smooth, and to smelled so fantastic. Her hair looked heavier, silkier, wavier and lush. The makeup was understated and cute, which she appreciated.

By the time it was all done and she remembered why she was doing it all in the first place, she got a little miffed. Now that she was feeling super smooth and pretty, she would love to just go home and sit on the couch, _beautifully_, and do nothing.

Instead, Pam and Amelia drove her to their apartment. They lived on the top floor of a six-storey high building somewhat removed from the hustle and bustle zone, and, as it turned out, it was for Amelia's benefit, who worked in the Environmental Research Department belonging to a University.

The apartment was surprisingly cozy, not nearly as pompous looking or big as she'd imagined it, and, Pam was right, they did have a kickass little apartment greenhouse – it was beautiful, and Sookie stood out there staring at everything while the home owners excused themselves to do other things.

"Here Sookie…" Amelia showed up with a tall glass of juice and a straw she could drink from and not ruin her makeup.

"Oh… thanks… Pam did say you're fruity!" Sookie grinned before getting a taste. "Oh, what is this?"

"Passion fruit!" Amelia said. "We don't grow them in Louisiana, but I have a friend in California who farms them. It's a South American fruit."

"It tastes amazing!"

"It's supposedly good for the nerves!" Amelia winked.

"You're sedating me?" Sookie snorted.

"Only a little!"

Sookie shrugged and slurped vigorously from the straw, making Amelia laugh.

"It's going to be fine, you know…" Amelia said, directing her to sit with her on the white, wrought-iron bench facing the greenhouse. "People will be too polite to ask invasive questions."

"No, they'll save it for when we're not looking…" Sookie muttered.

"Well true… but isn't it always like that?" Amelia shrugged. "Want to hear a funny story?"

"Sure."

"Do you know why I had such a hard time in New York?"

"Why?"

"Well… I'm not exactly _new_ to this kind of universe, which is mostly why Pam thought I would be good to be around you," Sookie arched an eyebrow curiously. "My Dad has money, a _lot_ of money. So I grew up with people like the people you'll see tonight."

"But not anymore?" Sookie frowned.

"Oh, not for a few years, not with the same… intensity?" Amelia shrugged. "My father disowned me when I was around 18."

"Oh my God!" Sookie gasped. "Amelia, I'm so sorry."

"I'm fine now. We talk – there's love but, we don't like each other, if that makes sense."

"Uhm… was it because of the uh…"

"The gay thing?" Amelia grinned. "No… ironically… it was because of my green thing. Father makes his millions polluting the environment and I was banding up with the people who made his life difficult."

"Oh… that sucks."

Amelia shrugged. "It is what it is. There was a lot of talk, and writing, about what was going on. And of course, a lot of people assumed the same as you because, well that is the most logical and let's admit, juicy and controversial angle."

"But you survived it."

"I did. And whatever comes your way now, Sookie, so will you."

Sookie sighed and nodded. She was right. After all, whatever came at her now, how could it be worse than being disowned? It couldn't. Pam was really crafty like that, putting Amelia to talk to her.

After her pep talk with Amelia, it was time to get ready. She changed into the dress, put on her new shoes and faced herself on the mirror. She was happy to see that pretty as the dress was she didn't look like another person. The fabric felt amazing, like a breeze against her skin, and the heels made her strangely confident. Sookie wasn't short, but now she felt definitely elegant, because the heels forced her to fix her posture.

"So…" Sookie asked uncertainly as she joined Pam and Amelia in the living room. "Can I fool anyone?"

"You look amazing, Sookie!" Amelia said enthusiastically. "You were right Pam!"

"I usually am…" Pam said with her hands on her hips as she eyed Sookie cryptically. "How are those heels working for you?"

"I feel like I could break my neck."

"Good! That's how we learn to stand still!" Pam winked.

"You two look… awesome!" Sookie lacked the right word exactly, but they did. Pam wore a black long dress of materials that shimmered slightly and Amelia wore a layered gray dress that seemed to complement Pam's somehow. "OK… are we done? Can I go home?"

Pam and Amelia laughed with her, and it was good, it made her feel better. Amelia walked up to her, offering her a beautifully beaded clutch purse where she could store her essentials.

"Yeah?" Pam answered her phone, which no one had heard ringing. "OK, we'll be right down." She hung up and looked at Sookie meaningfully. "Time to go."

The trip down to the lobby was too short, and then they walked out to see Chow and Eric and she was at least glad her escorts were her good old snooping friends. Her eyes met Chow's first and he grinned at her and gave her the double thumbs up, which made her laugh.

She knew he would have said something cute and funny if he could. But this was a strangely formal situation and it was probably not appropriate. She'd had a few chats with Chow during the week, and she liked to think of him and Eric as her friendly bodyguards now.

Eric, of course, looked at her with that annoyingly confusing eyes of his. He looked at her as though he could eat her, but then he wouldn't kiss her back. When it came to Eric, she was slightly comforted the occasion was formal, or she'd engage him in mindless flirtation that would simply not end well for her. But she didn't miss his little appraising smile when she walked by him, and she was a little ashamed by the fact she flushed like a school girl, and glad she already had her back to him and he couldn't see her.

Then, thoughts of her inappropriate and unrequited crush on her bodyguard vanished when she halted on the sidewalk, to the sight of an honest-to-god-actual limousine parked there.

"Are you shitting me?" Sookie blurted when Pam stopped next to her.

"That will be Niall… he wanted to pick you up personally. We'll go together. Come," Pam started leading the way, as the driver held the door opened for them.

Sookie looked behind her awkwardly and noticed Chow and Eric were heading to Eric's car, parked behind the limo. She was a little lost without her boys if she was honest. At least, when they were taking her places she could chat with them. Sighing, she folded herself into the limo, sitting down and smiling as Niall beamed across from her.

"Hello, Sookie dear! You look lovely!"

"Hey… thanks. You look… dapper."

Niall chuckled. "Dapper as an old man can look."

Pam and Amelia joined them and the car started to move. Fortunately for her, Amelia and Pam filled the silence with appropriate conversation, they seemed to distract Niall from her well. She did her best not to manically wring her hands or tap her feet.

Fortunately the trip was short, and they were suddenly next to a massive building, lit like a Christmas tree and surrounded by trees.

"So… you own this thing?" Sookie asked, unable to keep from being impressed – they stepped out of the limo and started heading toward the entrance, where many people in elegant clothing milled about, chatting.

"Yes, indeed. It was one of the first concert halls we acquired. It's the venue to many important events."

"And _Claudine_ is hosting the event?"

"Not hosting - she's co-financing the event. This is something her grandmother…" he cleared his throat. "…_your_ great-grandmother did every five years. The profits go to medical research."

"Ah… are _you_ auctioning anything?"

"Yes. A lakeside property in Maine."

"_Damn_!" Sookie couldn't help herself.

Niall laughed heartily, squeezing around her arm affectionately. "Here we are…" he said as they arrived at the entrance.

Sookie breathed calmly as she took in the interior of the place. It was like the type of thing she'd seen in movies, so, on the one hand, it was a little fascinating. On the other hand it was intimidating as hell. She liked the lights, and the white drapes on the walls, and she liked that the people seemed mostly absorbed in their own private conversations. She saw herself looking at this dress, and that dress and that other, like she and Tara would do on Oscar night – except it was live.

"So you don't know all these people do you?" Sookie asked Niall as they started walking.

"No. Of course not. At might age I don't even remember most of the people I do know," Niall joked. "Ah, Eric…" he turned unexpectedly.

Sookie looked over her shoulder to see Eric behind her, with one of the security guards she'd seen at Niall's building.

"Sir, Mrs. Crane is in the upper gallery with the organizers," Eric whispered.

"Ah, good! Sadly I see someone calling me…" Niall gazed across the hall. "Will you take Sookie to Pam?"

"Of course."

"I'll be right with you, dear…" Niall squeezed her hands reassuringly.

"Ok…" Sookie nodded at a loss and then watched him walking to two men who were waving frantically at him. "What's going on?" Sookie eyed Eric, aware her eyes were wide as saucers again.

"The Cranes are upstairs, waiting for you," Eric said, indicating his left. "Come on."

"I thought the point was to introduce me in a room full of people?" she questioned as she walked next to him.

"It will be a room full of people." He assured her. "Are you OK?"

She could see him glancing at her through her peripheral. "I feel like I'm in a Prince and the Pauper type movie… or one of those with the rich twin and the poor twin switching places," she rambled as they walked up a flight of stairs.

Eric chuckled leading them through a short corridor. "Isn't that an Olsen Twins' movie?"

"Hey, you don't get to make fun of me if you actually _recognize_ the movie!" she grinned as he held a large door open for her.

"I can't argue with that…" Eric admitted as she walked past him.

"Well, of course not! I mean, it was after your time too, so, doubly embarrassing!" she teased him.

"Point taken!" Eric grinned as they stopped by the door. "I'm also glad embarrassing me is reassuring to you, you look a lot less pale."

"Oh no…" Sookie's smile dropped. "You shouldn't have said that. It's all coming back to me now."

"You just need a drink," Eric offered.

"_You_ need a drink!" she countered with a huff.

They both laughed and she felt better all over again.

"Well finally, here she is!"

Sookie snapped her head to the side and suddenly she was looking at a tall, lean woman with long, dark hair, wearing a long, elegant purple dress. She wore dark make up, and her eyes narrowed as they trailed over her critically. Sookie eyed Eric next to her, silently pleading for help, but he just gave her an encouraging look before he turned away. Sookie couldn't help following him with her eyes desperately, wishing he'd come back.

"You must be my cousin Sookie then!" she said cocking her head to the side.

Sookie smiled tightly and nodded. "You must be Claudine! I've heard so much about you!" All of it very frightening.

"Hah… that's sweet. I'm afraid I haven't heard much at all about you…" Claudine said, clearly displeased about it. "But grandfather can be very protective of those he considers fragile…" she eyed her up and down again. "You don't look fragile though! And I see you've already made great friends with our Chief of Security!"

"Oh uh… he's been helpful…" Sookie said frowning. "Like a friend."

Claudine Crane's eyes widened. "That's nice! I would never expect Eric to be so entertaining, he is usually very reserved. But I guess he really is very patient with the young. You know, him having a kid and all.." she waved it away and started turning away. "Claude! Claude get over here you silly man!"

Sookie watched as she strode away, laughing, opening her arms to a man about the same height as her as he stood by a cart full of liquor. She gaped after her new found cousin as she processed this very new, very unexpected piece of information. Eric had kid? Since _when_? And did Claudine Crane just insult her by likening her to a child?

Sookie was frowning hard as Claudine returned to her with a man at her arm who really was like a male version of her. Dark hair, large almond-shaped eyes, very lean, and eyeing her like an exotic bird at the petting zoo, just like his sister had.

"Well so this is our long, lost cousin!"

"In the flesh!" Claudine nodded. "Isn't she…"

"Ah, there you all are!" Pam appeared from out of nowhere. "Here they are Niall!" she added in a strident voice as Niall approached them, a short, dark hair woman at his arm. "And Mrs. Vega, you remember Claudine and Claude Crane, of course?"

"Ah yes! I am always fascinated by how alike you two are!" the woman, who should be in her eighties, smiled sweetly at the pair of them, still holding to Niall's arm, as though she needed the support. "And who is this lovely young lady!" she asked curiously turning her eyes to a wide-eyed Sookie.

"Ah, this is my great-granddaughter Sookie Stackhouse! Sookie this is Anna Vega, a good friend of ours."

"Oh, Niall! You never mentioned you had another great-granddaughter! Oh, she's beautiful!" Anna Vega's eyes were now drinking her in with renewed interest. "But she is not from their side!" she gestured towards the Cranes almost dismissively.

"No, she's my son Fintan's granddaughter."

"Oooh!" Anna Vega became suddenly mournful. "In that case she is three times more precious!" she reached over and patted Sookie's cheeks unexpectedly. "Oh yes, I can see some of him in her… Fintan always looked so much like you, Niall!"

Sookie gaped quietly between them while they discussed her and while Claudine and Claude Crane quietly observed everything without saying anything at all. Pam caught her eyes over Mrs. Vega's shoulder and made a gesture to indicate she should smile. Sookie nodded and batted her eyes, trying to smile.

She was suddenly being steered around the room by Anna Vega, who introduced her to several people as "Niall's great-granddaughter." Some people were curious enough to ask more, and then Mrs. Vega would get this really sad expression as she mentioned Fintan, and the subject would usually change to how sad it was how young he died, but mostly, people just shook her hand, complimented her dress, or asked her how Niall was doing "these days."

Suddenly, Sookie saw herself on the main floor, and while Anna Vega was very efficient at introducing her in a way that didn't give people much time to ask questions before she was steering her away, she was happy when Amelia appeared beside her with a drink, and gently pried her away from the old matron.

"Oh sweet Jesus, thank you!" Sookie said, taking a large gulp from her gin and tonic.

"Sookie we're so sorry things didn't go as planned with Claudine and Crane!" Amelia said apologetically. "Pam said she found you alone with them!"

"Yeah… it's OK…" Sookie took a deep breath. "Now Anna Vega though, _lovely_ woman. Very chatty!"

Amelia giggled. "Oh, I know! Pam asked Niall for her specifically!" she winked. "But the auction is about to start, so the tough part is over!"

"Thank God! What do you think the Cranes thought of me?"

Amelia's eyes suddenly widened as she looked at someone over her shoulder, and Sookie turned around curiously. A man in his seventies, with dark eyes and fading dark hair approached them.

"That is Gus Crane…." Amelia whispered.

"Why is he walking this way?" Sookie asked her between clenched teeth.

"I think he wants to introduce himself?"

"Can you stop it?"

"_Ladies and gentlemen!"_

The lights in the room suddenly dimmed and a spotlight appeared on the center stage over a skinny young man with a red rose on his lapel. Voices hushed everywhere and music stopped. Sookie looked over the stage, startled, in time to see Pam stepping down from the side quickly.

"She's quick…"

"She has eyes everywhere!" Amelia whispered as she started steering her away.

Sookie didn't even try to look over her shoulder to see if the man was still walking towards them, she was grateful for the distraction and suddenly she was being sat at a table between Niall and Claudine as everyone clapped.

"Have you ever been to an auction before, Sookie?" Claudine asked.

Of course she hadn't, and of course Claudine knew that. Sookie smiled politely and shook her head as she clapped with the others.

"I'm afraid this is going to be long, and boring…" Niall leaned over to whisper.

"I am fine with it if it means I don't have to shake any more hands," she confessed.

"Pam said you did good!" Niall smiled. "It wasn't too painful was it?"

The part where she met her cousins was, but the rest of it, not so much, strange, but not painful. She shook her head and smiled at him reassuringly. Niall looked relieved.

"Anna Vega is the most aloof creature on this earth. You give her as little details as you want, and she'll just run with it. She's great for when you want to spread rumors."

Sookie eyed her great-grandfather strangely. "And does that happen?"

"Oh, sometimes a good fake-rumor is needed!" Niall winked at her.

After sitting quietly for some of the auction, Sookie excused herself to go to the bathroom, and was happy to see Pam followed her inside.

"The good news is Anna Vega talked to the reporters!" Pam said locking the door so it was just the two of them inside.

"Is that good?"

"Oddly, yes."

"What's the bad news?"

"Augustus Crane is here."

"Yes, I know… I saw him," Sookie shuddered and moved to wash her hands and neck.

"And Eric wasn't happy with his reaction…" Pam sighed.

Sookie stopped what she was doing, remembering what Eric had said about how Claudine's husband and father's reactions were important for their next steps. She nodded slowly.

"Do you think Niall will agree to look into my father's file with the police now?"

"I think that's what Eric hopes he'll agree to do."

Sookie nodded. "What if we find out he did try to kill my father, Pam?"

"… I don't know Sookie… I honestly don't know…" Pam looked truly out of answers for the first time.

"Do you think him capable of that?" Sookie asked.

Pam hesitated. "We never know what anyone is capable of for money."

Sookie nodded again. "Hey, does Eric have a kid?" she looked up with a frown.

Pam blinked at her, surprised by the sudden change of subject.

"Yes, he does. A little boy, Daniel, he's 11 – great kid! You didn't know?"

Sookie shook her head slowly. "Nope… he never told me…" she turned her eyes back to her hands, and she washed them all over again, just to have something to do while she processed this.

"Are you OK?" Pam asked after a moment.

"Yep!" Sookie smiled forcefully as she dried her hands. "Can't wait for the night to be over though…" she said as they started to leave.

"You and me both," Pam snorted.

Sookie marched back towards the hall, looking down at the floor and not really seeing what was in front of her, she was too distracted in her thoughts and then suddenly someone's hands reached out and grabbed her around the shoulders before she collided with them.

Sookie looked up startled, finding herself face to face with Augustus Crane.

* * *

**A/N2: There were clues, is all I'm gonna say! I enjoyed putting them there and risk getting caught, but if anyone suspected, no one said anything.  
**


	25. Chapter 25

**25.**

September 7, 2013

Sookie heard Pam's clicking heels stopping behind her and she wanted to look over her shoulder and ask her what to do. But then, Mr. Crane gently stepped back and let go of her shoulders.

"I'm… I'm sorry…" Sookie stuttered.

"It's no problem. I wasn't looking where I was going!" he lied in a pleasant voice. "But this is fortunate. I have been looking forward to meeting you. You're Sookie Stackhouse."

"Yes… who are you?" she decided to play dumb.

"I'm Gus Crane. I'm Claudine and Claude's father, you've met them!" he smiled.

"Yes, yes I have."

"So, I suppose we're family."

Sookie stared at him speechlessly for a moment. She wasn't really going to agree with that. She barely considered Niall family at this point.

"Well, it's been a pleasure to meet you, Miss Stackhouse!" he finished awkwardly when she said nothing. "I hope we will be meeting your brother soon."

Sookie simply watched as the man walked around her in the opposite direction and then Pam was taking her arm and forcing her to walk with her.

"Well he was very amiable!"

"Yeah…" Sookie tried to shake the unpleasantness as they rejoined the crowd.

"You know… my daughter Claudia is dying to meet you," Claudine said unexpectedly at one point, between auctioned items, when conversations usually resumed for a brief moment.

"Oh?" Sookie prodded her politely. She had been lost in her thoughts again.

"Yes, she thinks because you're younger you'll be somewhat less of a bore to hang around!"

Sookie smiled "I will probably disappoint her."

Claudine smirked back at her, and for a moment she actually looked like a genuinely approachable woman. Claude was watching them both with a cryptic look and Niall was distracted by Anna Vega, who seemed to be telling him a very long story. Sookie sighed, watching as the presenter brought the next item for auction.

It was after midnight when the auction ended, and still people moved in clusters, drinking, chatting, congratulating one another. For the last hour and a half Sookie felt as though she'd been floating inside her own head – she couldn't stop asking herself why she'd come. And then people around her started to move, and she snapped her head around, surprised. She stood, a little uncertainly, and she was nearly blinded by someone's camera flash. She blinked wildly, looking for the source, but someone grabbed her elbow and she turned around.

"I hope we will see you again soon, cousin!" Claudine said before kissing her on the cheek, just as another burst of a flash blinded her from her peripheral. "So you can meet Claudia…"

Sookie nodded automatically and watched as she slipped away with her twin. Claude didn't really say anything to her, he'd barely spared her another glance. She had a feeling, unlike his sister, he wasn't willing to perform.

"I'm glad you two got along!" Niall said beside her.

Sookie looked at Niall dubiously, but made no comment. They started walking again. Sookie had met a lot of people whose names and faces she wouldn't remember tomorrow – she could feel a few curious glances burning into her as she moved, and she did her best not to meet anyone's eyes. Instinctively she was looking for Augustus Crane, while wondering why Claudine's husband had been absent. She couldn't see any sign of the man now, and she smiled and thanked some random person who stopped her to compliment her dress.

"Are you ready to go, Sookie?" Pam was suddenly next to her.

"Oh, yes…" she said eagerly.

"This way… it will be easier through the back…" she started steering her around.

They had to walk around the entire circumference of the hall, but they finally reached a door into what looked like a fire exit.

"My dear…" Niall stopped her just before the door. "Thank you for coming tonight, I know it wasn't easy. But Pam seems confident it all went according to plan when it comes to the media."

"Yes, it really did Sookie. That will go very smoothly. At first…" she added quickly with an apologetic smile.

Sookie chuckled. "You mean until they hear about my brother?"

"Sons of politicians in this city have done worse, I assure you."

Sookie nodded, even if that wasn't comforting at all. She didn't care richer people had worse scandals. She cared about people thinking and saying hurtful things about _her_ stupid brother, or her grandmother, or Grandpa Earl.

"It was good to see you," Sookie told Niall – at least she could say that honesty. She did like seeing him again.

Niall beamed at her, and it looked as though that was the best thing anyone had said to him all night. She squeezed his hands and smiled before she followed Pam as she pushed the door open.

They walked out onto a lit cobblestone path, surrounded by high bushes. At the end of the path she saw the familiar silver Chevy Volt, and Eric striding to open the door to the back seat. She took a deep breath. He caught her eyes as she approached and smiled at her. She looked away without returning it and slid into the back – wondering if the extra formality was somehow necessary because Niall was watching. But then she noticed Chow sitting on the passenger seat.

"Hey Sookie!" he said, turning to look at her over his shoulder. "Did you have fun tonight?"

Sookie smiled. "It was an interesting night, I'll say that much."

Eric got into the driver's seat and she caught his eyes in the rearview mirror – again, she looked away. This was going to be a long drive. At least Chow was there to make it less uncomfortable.

He actually did a good job of chatting the whole way back to Bon Temps – once Sookie prodded him about his favorite subject, which was food, he didn't stop talking the whole way, sometimes poking Eric and Sookie for some culinary input. Sometimes Sookie would catch Eric frowning at her on the mirror, but he never said anything.

Eric stopped first at the Bellefleur Hotel to drop Chow for the rest of the night, and Sookie was slightly wary of being alone with Eric again. For the first few minutes he didn't try to engage her in conversation, and since she was in the backseat it was just easier to look out the window and pretend to be interested in the view.

"Are you OK?" he finally asked after ten minutes of silence.

"Yes."

He stayed silent the rest of the way, and Sookie was dozing off when the car finally stopped again, and the silence once it stopped was what startled her.

"We're here…" Eric said to her, looking over his shoulder.

Sookie nodded and fumbled with her seatbelt while Eric got out of the car to open the door for her. She accepted his hand, she needed the help to haul herself out of the car, and she thanked him sleepily, letting go of his hand to walk up the path to her front steps.

"Good night…" Eric said quietly behind her.

Sookie stopped to look over her shoulder, the upset frown on his face was nearly moving. "Yeah, good night." She turned back and unlocked her door, disappearing without another look, or another word.

* * *

Eric opened the door into apartment 3B, loosening his tie and shrugging his suit jacket off his back. He was still trying to figure out what had happened between the last time he talked to Sookie, and picking her up to drive her home at the end of the night. Something had definitely changed in the air between them, but he didn't know what it was. They had been joking about bad children's movies and she'd been smiling at him, and then, next he saw her she looked almost cold. She'd engaged Chow in conversation, but seemed to be avoiding him.

He'd dumped his jacket and tie on the couch and dropped his wallet and cell phone on the desk before heading to the window, tugging at the top buttons of his shirt, happy to breathe again. He frowned when he saw nothing but closed curtains and clear darkness in Sookie's apartment. Had she gone straight to bed without turning on any lights? Was she alright? Something just didn't sit right with him – and he remembered Pam mentioned she had a moment with Gus Crane earlier.

Eric turned around to grab his phone and call her, just to make sure, one last time, that she was OK. And then there were three knocks on the door.

He frowned, wasting only a beat before striding to the door and yanking it open. And there she was, still in her dress, holding her clutch purse like she'd never even gone into her apartment, and wearing a cryptic expression as she stared at him.

"Sookie?" he stepped back for her.

Sookie strode past him into the apartment, almost stomping as she did so. Eric closed the door and turned to meet her as she rounded on him.

"Something wrong?"

"Are we friends Eric?" she asked out of the blue.

Eric blinked at her curiously, tucking his hands into his pockets – this seemed like a tricky conversation.

"We are, as much as we can be."

Sookie's eyes narrowed. "What does that _mean_ exactly?"

"What's going on Sookie?"

"No… answer my question," she insisted calmly.

Eric sighed running a hand over the back of his neck. "It means I am your friend so long as it doesn't affect my job - which is to protect you."

"Like you're friends with Niall?" she asked.

Eric considered that for a moment – he certainly never had chats with Niall about sneaking out of his parents house in the middle of the night, nor had Niall ever brought him sandwiches, or beer. But they did have their moments.

"I have a good working relationship with Niall – I suppose we are friends - in a way."

"So, does Niall know you have a child?" Sookie asked with an innocent, casual shrug.

And then it became clear why she was upset with him. And Eric perked his head up a little, staring at her for a moment.

"Yes, he does. Is that what this is about?"

"Claudine casually mentioned it," Sookie said. "It just felt like something I would have known… if I were a friend… even within your… professional boundaries."

Eric dropped his eyes between them and nodded. "I am sorry, I understand why it is upsetting to you. I just never got into the subject with you."

Sookie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right… I get it…" she started turning back towards the door. "Fuck you, Eric…" she muttered.

"Sookie wait…" Eric sighed, stepping towards her.

"No, it's OK… I get it… I'm just the poor little girl who happens to be your burden and who you humor just to keep her happy and compliant!" she said in a louder voice.

"No, Sookie, that is not what this is at all…" he said as he closed in on her, aware of her hand on the doorknob.

"Then what the fuck _is_ it?" she hissed.

Eric stared at her for an indecisive moment, knowing he couldn't possibly not be honest with her now.

"Telling you more takes me too close."

Sookie eyed him funny. "Too close to what?" she asked impatiently.

"This," he grabbed her around the back of her head and crushed his mouth to hers the way he'd wanted to, his fingers entwining into her hair, gripping tightly to keep her close. Fuck _too close_, he wished she'd just get closer.

* * *

Sookie hesitated for all of two seconds before she caught up to what was happening and with an eager whimper she kissed him back, flinging her arms around his neck and holding on tight as their bodies pressed closer together – and there was the dull sound of her clutch purse hitting the floor.

She thrust fingers into his soft hair and clutched, her skin breaking into goose bumps all over at the feel of his large, warm hands gripping her hips tightly. Sookie's whole body trembled when his tongue probed the seam of her lips, and the feel of his fingers cupping the side of her face had her sighing and parting her mouth for him.

At the first brush of his tongue against hers, Eric and slammed her against the wall, pinning her there with his body, his warm hands travelling up her sides while he slanted his mouth over hers again and again - her fingers tugging his hair until it hurt a little. Eric growled at her approvingly, his own hands dropping around her hips, where they started bunching up the gauzy fabric of her dress.

Sookie closed her eyes and dropped her head back against the wall, gasping for air, a knowing smile tugging at the corners of her lips at the feel of the soft, breezy fabric sliding against her now searing, hot skin. His mouth pressed to the juncture of her shoulder and neck, kissing up a trail to the spot behind her ear at the same time his paw-like hands clutched around the back of her thighs and lifted her easily against the wall, his hips fitting just right in the space between them – his arousal brushing just right against her heated core.

She dropped her head down, her brain feeling deliciously hazy and she smiled again, gazing down at his stormy blue eyes – the desire in them caused a tightening in her lower belly and she thought she'd burst into flames. Instead she grabbed the sides of his face and kissed him hungrily, every brush of their tongues or tug and nip of their teeth making her wetter and wetter - his hands on her ass while he pinned her to the wall helped too.

Then, as though they'd rehearsed it before, they moved together, if a little awkwardly in their positions. Somehow, still fully clothed, they managed to get what they wanted. She heard the sound of his zipper and gasped at the first contact of his fingers over her mound through the lace of her panties, before he yanked them to the side and slammed into her.

They moaned and groaned in unison and they stopped kissing so they could gasp and pant, and move against one another in a frantic rhythm. Somehow they found a pace and soon they were clutching tightly to each other and unraveling – Sookie had no idea who finished first, she was too delirious chanting her yesses and knocking her head against the wall and she thought she heard Eric blurt something out in a breathless voice as he came inside her – but she might as well have imagined it all, floating like she was.

And then Eric stumbled back, still holding her to him, and they flopped down on the couch, with Sookie slumping forward into him, burying her face into his neck, catching her breath, and willing her heart to slow the fuck down, she was too young to die.

"Are you OK?" he breathed raggedly against the top of her head, his hands rubbing up and down her back, through the now soaked fabric of her dress.

Sookie could only nod against his neck, and uncomfortably hot as it felt with them both this close together, she couldn't find the strength or will to peel herself away. He felt too good to let go and she weakly wrapped her arms around his sides and sighed deeply, letting the aftershocks run through her.

"I see your point…" she muttered after a while – she wasn't actually sure if she'd said it or dreamt it, but she remembered the feeling of Eric's chest rumbling with laughter in response, and the cheeky smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

* * *

September 8, 2013

The dull, grey light of morning pressing against her eyelids woke her up. Sookie moved a little stiffly and frowned, eyes still closed and breathing through her nose. She tossed and arm over her eyes and rubbed reflexively, trying to move little by little as her sleepy muscles fought her back.

She dropped her arm and opened her eyes just a little. Across the barely lit room she saw him first. Slumped on a chair, with his head bending forward, his feet propped against another chair in front of him – one of his arms on the surface of the computer desk beside him, the other resting on his lap. He looked really uncomfortable there, but it didn't seem to bother him as he clearly slept.

Sookie tried moving again, finding herself somewhat cramped by her current environment. She glanced down to discover she had Eric's suit jacket for a blanket – he'd let her have the tiny couch it appeared. And she pushed herself into a sitting position as much as she could in her current state, gazing around the room lazily. She saw her clutch purse on top of a cardboard box by the door.

She'd finally sat up and she shook herself, glancing at the window, noticing the new day seemed a little dull, and there was the faint smell of rain in the air. She stood up holding Eric's jacket to her front as she dropped her eyes to him again. He looked ruggedly handsome in his crumpled shirt and dress pants. She smiled dopily at herself, lamenting she hadn't gotten to see his glorious body divested of clothes yet. But well, for all things there was tomorrow. She looked at the jacket she was clutching in her hands and dropped her nose into it to inhale his scent. Something like an aftershock ran through her body, and her lady parts throbbed as if remembering what he'd felt like inside her. He'd felt very very very good…

She dropped her eyes to him again, holding his jacket to her nose and sighed. She sucked at morning afters. And if what he'd been trying to tell her last night was any indication, this particular morning after could get really uncomfortable. So she quietly turned around and draped his jacket over the arm of the couch, finding her shoes resting against its feet as she bent down. Quietly she picked them up, eyeing Eric carefully as she stood and tip-toed across the room to get her purse. She then made it to the door and quietly opened it, glancing over her shoulder warily.

With a sigh she stepped outside and turned, gazing one last time at his sleeping form. She grinned and closed the door between them.

She stopped in the corridor to put her heels back on before she headed for the stairs, flinching as the click of her heels echoed against the walls. She made it onto the lobby and her eyes widened slightly as Liam turned in his chair inside his partition to look at her – his eyebrows twitching as his eyes swept over her curiously.

"Morning Liam…" she said casually as she walked past him.

"Morning…" he babbled after her.

Sookie could feel his eyes on her back as she stepped out on the street and she sighed resignedly. Well, at least now the rumors were true.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: You guys are the best! Thank you for all the comments. Xoxo.**

**26.**

September 8, 2013

As Sookie climbed the stairs to her third floor apartment, she was still smiling like a fool and vaguely thinking about breakfast and a shower. So she was more than a little dismayed when she reached the top landing and realized Holly Cleary was knocking at the door, with airs of one who had been knocking for a while.

"Holly…?" Sookie called out curiously, holding onto the banister and leaning into it to catch her breath.

Holly whirled around in surprise, her fist still raised and poised to knock. "Sookie! Well no wonder it was taking you forever I… thought…" her eyes slowly trailed over her dress and she blinked. "Did… did you just get here?"

"Ah… yes, I was out all night…" Sookie blinked back at her landlady, wondering why she was staring at her like that.

Holly gaped at her for a moment, her expression turning increasingly more worrisome. Then, she turned back to Sookie's door and, quite to Sookie's confusion, tested the doorknob. She was even more confused when the door swung open easily, creaking ominously as it did so.

"Sookie I think someone might have broken into your house last night…" Holly looked at her over her shoulder, but Sookie's eyes were currently staring into her open doorway. "I heard noises last night… that's why I came here to talk you but… if you weren't' there…"

Sookie was happy she was leaning into something, because she suddenly couldn't feel her legs. She stared back at Holly, finding her expression mirrored hers.

"What kind of noises?"

"Well… banging noises… like doors and…stomping…" Holly opened her door wider. "Oh…"

Sookie forced herself to move and she strode to stand next to Holly in the doorway. The first thing she saw was the mess of scattered objects on the living room floor. The cabinets beneath the shelves by her wall were hanging open, and everything that once had been inside them had spilled onto the floor.

Sookie stepped inside carefully, her eyes taking in all around. Her kitchen looked untouched – the little drawers beneath her center table had been moved as well and her bedroom door was wide open and she could see stuff on her bed.

"We should call the police…" Holly said, following Sookie inside.

"Yeah…" Sookie breathed. "I should…" she blinked her eyes repeatedly, trying to force herself to think clearly.

She strode over to her kitchen counter and rested her clutch purse on top of it before she opened it so she could dig out her cell phone. Her hands were shaking, and it took her a few tries before she actually hit the right button on speed dial. She held the phone to her ear as she turned around to glance at her apartment nervously. Holly stood by the door with a hand on her chest as she looked around, quite scared herself.

"_Sookie…?"_ Eric finally answered, sounding a little disoriented.

"Someone broke into my apartment…" she croaked in response, her voice almost alien sounding to her ears.

There was only a brief pause on the other side. _"Sookie, are you alone in there?"_

"Holly's here…" she managed to say.

"_Good… don't move, don't touch anything. I'm coming."_

He hung up, and Sookie kept the phone to her ear for a few seconds longer, until she shook herself.

"This has never happened before!" Holly was shaking her head. "I never even thought about installing an alarm… but now I will... oh my God!"

"Yeah…" Sookie responded sedately, as she eased herself onto a stool, holding tremulously around the edges. "We just… wait here…"

Holly turned to look at her and cocked her head to her side in sympathy. "Oh, you poor thing!" she strode over to stand next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I'm so sorry, Sookie! I don't have words… this so, so…" she kept shaking her head and rubbing Sookie's back comfortingly. "I'm just relieved you weren't here when it happened…"

Sookie considered that for a moment before she nodded slowly. "Yeah… I guess…"

At that moment, Eric surged through the open door, halting immediately to sweep his eyes around with a deepening frown. He stopped, seeing Sookie and Holly by the counter – he took a moment to acknowledge the landlady with a nod before standing in front of Sookie, his eyes taking in her edginess – he softened before he spoke to her.

"Are you OK?" Sookie nodded. "Did you get here just before you called me?" she nodded again. "Miss Cleary, were you here first?" he turned to Holly in business-mode.

"I ah… I was knocking on the door when Sookie arrived… I had been knocking for five minutes… I was worried because I'd heard some noises last night…" Holly frowned and looked at Sookie curiously. "Didn't you call the police?"

Sookie blinked back at Holly, not really knowing what to say.

"What time?" Eric interrupted.

"What?" Holly looked back at him.

"What time did you hear the noises and what kind of noise it was?" he asked patiently.

Holly frowned, looking around as if trying to remember. "Perhaps eleven…? Maybe a little earlier even… I'm not sure."

"What did you hear?"

"Stomping… things being dropped, doors banging…" Holly shrugged. "Sookie has never been one to make noise after hours so I was a little surprised… but I just thought I'd talk to her in the morning. I had no idea she wasn't home!" she looked back at Sookie again, apologetically.

"Was your son home? Did he hear it too?"

"No, he slept through everything."

"Could you be able to tell how long it lasted?"

"No, I'm sorry. It was long enough that it bothered me…" she shrugged.

Eric nodded, stepping back, reaching for his phone. "Thank you, Mrs. Cleary, that is very helpful actually."

Holly looked at Sookie inquisitively but Sookie had her eyes on Eric, a million questions rushing through her head as she thought through his questions. Around eleven? She was in Shreveport around eleven – was that relevant? Did Eric think it was relevant?

"Chow, I need you. Someone broke into Sookie's house – bring your kit." There was a pause. "Yes, she's fine. Just get here as soon as you can."

"I'm sorry Sookie, but who is this man to you?" Holly whispered to her while Eric stepped away to make another call.

"He's uhm…" Sookie rubbed her temples. "My… bodyguard…"

"Your…" Holly blinked.

"It's a… long story, Holly…" Sookie looked at her with a pleading expression. "I could explain everything to you… but maybe some other time?"

Holly gaped at her a little and then finally nodded. "OK… so… uhm… I assume he'll take it from here?"

"Yes."

"OK… I'll… go then…" Holly said uncertainly.

Sookie nodded. "I think that would be fine. Thank you, Holly…"

Holly nodded and smile, rubbing her back one last time before pulling away. "Mr. Northman… if you need me I'll… be downstairs…" she said again looking uncertainly between the two of them.

Eric nodded. "Thank you Mrs. Cleary, you've been great help." He smiled.

Holly nodded and after an awkward pause, she turned around and left. Sookie slid off the stool, wringing her hands as she stepped closer to watch while Holly disappeared down the stairs. Once she was out of sight, her eyes landed on Eric, who walked up to the door and moved it carefully, without touching the handle. Sookie stepped closer, watching as he frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"Your lock seems intact…" he used a handkerchief and tested the knob. "A key might have been used. Did you keep any spare keys handy in the hall?"

"No! The only one who has a spare is Jason!" Sookie shrugged.

Eric looked up from the door, arching an eyebrow at her. "Jason has a key to your apartment?"

"Yes!" Sookie shrugged.

"And he keeps it in _his house_, I assume?"

"Yeah I guess…" Sookie shrugged again and then she froze, her eyes widening a little as she stared back at Eric. "You're saying…"

"You didn't notice if your key was gone from his house?" Eric asked.

Sookie mouthed wordlessly for a few moments until she spread her arms at a loss. "It's not like I went _looking_ for it! When would it occur to me someone wanted to steal a key? It never even crossed my mind! Besides, I don't know where in his house he keeps it!"

Eric sighed letting go of the handle. "Someone breaks in when you're conveniently out of town for a few hours, three weeks after your brother's empty house has been broken into and apparently nothing valuable was taken." Eric stepped away from the doorway, tucking his hands into his pockets to sweep his eyes over the apartment floor again. "They're looking for something specific that they couldn't find in Jason's house, so they went to the next obvious place."

Sookie frowned, watching Eric as he stepped closer to her center table, seeming to be deep in thought as he took in the details.

"Who's _they_, Eric?"

He stopped to look over her shoulder. "I don't know… I'm guessing here."

"You think Mack Rattray was here…" she started, stepping closer to him.

"Yes."

"And you think Mack's working for Gus Crane or Colman Warren or both?"

"That's what my instincts tell me, yes…" Eric admitted carefully.

"What else do your instincts tell you?" Sookie prodded.

Eric dropped his eyes between them for a moment. "That maybe this is about more than just keeping you and Jason away. That maybe there's something they're trying to protect."

Sookie frowned in response."Like what?"

Eric sighed. "Look around… tell me what places did he bother with and then we'll try to figure out why."

"Ok…" Sookie nodded uncertainly. "But… I shouldn't touch anything?"

"Try not to. Until Chow's here."

"Ok…"

Sookie walked over the pile of photo albums and boxes of useless clutter spilling out of the cabinets beneath the shelves and she strode into her bedroom. On her bed she saw the wooden box with Gran's jewelry she kept on the vanity. Gran didn't have much, but what she'd had was kept in that box. She peered into it and couldn't spot anything missing. There were some items of clothing too and she turned her head to see her wardrobe door was open. Her bedside table drawer had been opened. Her laptop was untouched on top of her dresser.

"So…?" she heard Eric's voice behind her. "What do you think?"

Sookie turned around to face him. "He only looked into places where I keep old stuff… family stuff… He didn't even take my laptop… I mean, OK it's a piece of crap but…" she shrugged. "You must be right… he was looking for something specific."

"Yes… but what…?" Eric looked around her bedroom as if the answer was there somehow.

* * *

When Chow arrived he went straight to work, looking for prints and other clues. After he was done, having found nothing - he helped Sookie along with Eric to put everything back in its place at the same time Sookie checked for any missing objects. It took them just over an hour to put everything back and for Sookie to be certain nothing had been stolen.

"Whatever he was looking for, wasn't here…." Chow deduced. "Where could he go next?"

Eric and Chow stared into space for a moment thinking. Sookie flicked her eyes between them – she had been watching them from her stool in her kitchenette, with her arms folded around herself. She sighed.

"The old farmhouse," she said.

Eric and Chow looked up at her, surprised.

"If the guy is after something family-related that is the only other place he's gonna find anything at all."

"Who purchased the farmhouse from the bank?" Eric asked.

"A retired couple from out of town," she shrugged. "I don't really know them – but they're Matt and Bev Clearwater."

"And would he find anything there?" Chow asked.

"Well, we had a lot of crap we couldn't afford to move to storage, so we left it all in the attic and whoever purchased the house would be free to… do whatever they wanted with it," Sookie said as she dropped her eyes – her nose started twitching, in protest of the feelings of remorse at all that history she'd been forced to leave behind. "If the Clearwaters didn't get rid of everything… he'd find _something_."

Chow and Eric exchanged a look and Chow spoke first. "I'll look into it." Eric nodded. "Well… I'm off… I'm ready to take my post at the _fort_… I'd say you could go to the hotel and rest, but you'll be wanting to speak to Niall in person for this, I assume?" Eric nodded again – he was staring at the floor pensively. "Very well…"

Chow trailed off, looking from Eric to Sookie curiously. It hadn't escaped him that both were still wearing last night's clothes, and both looking worse for the wear – but he kept his thoughts to himself and started walking towards the exit.

"Hey, Sookie…" he called as he grabbed the door. "I'm sorry this happened… but we're gonna take care of you, OK?"

"Thanks Chow…" Sookie smiled.

"Are you coming?" he asked Eric.

Eric turned to him, folding his arms across his chest and nodded. "I'll meet you there in five."

"OK," Chow left, closing the door behind him.

* * *

Once they were alone again, Eric turned to look at Sookie. She looked up at him quietly, and they stared at each other for a full minute without saying anything.

"Niall told me he suspected Gus Crane had some sort of deal with my father, and that's why he looked for Gran once he died…" Sookie started. "He wants something that incriminates him, doesn't he? Something from my father?"

Eric was surprised she had come up with all that by herself – he had similar theories and he nodded. "I think that is very possible, yes – given he's searched both your apartment and Jason's house… if you're right then he's next step is your grandmother's farmhouse… and we'll try to catch him this time."

"Are you going to Shreveport?" she asked, dropping her eyes between them.

"Yes, I think it would be best to tell Niall personally."

Sookie nodded. "OK…"

"If you feel unsafe at any moment, Chow's right across the street."

"Yeah, I know…" she looked up at him again and smiled, as though she was trying to reassure him. "You should go…"

They stared at each other uncertainly and though he wanted to reach out and touch her in some way he just didn't know how. What happened between them just hours before had no place in this room now. He had a job he had to finish, and it was to her benefit. It was how he could care for her – how he _should_.

"I will have Chow come and check on you after I talk to Niall," he said.

"Alright…" Sookie slid off the stool. "I'll… be here… studying for a quiz tomorrow… if I can think that is…" she walked with him to the door. "I uh… should probably change this lock…" she stopped, poking at her keychain.

"We'll take care of it for you… Chow'll send someone," he reassured her.

When she nodded, hesitating as she stared at the handle, Eric took the lead and pulled it open. "Take care…" he told her softly before stepping outside.

'Hey, Eric…" she called out to him leaning against the doorjamb. He turned back, looking at her curiously. "So, is your son a Danny, or a Dan?"

Eric smiled. "Either… he's not picky."

Sookie nodded. "That's good, he's flexible."

Eric smirked, getting the underlying truce. "I'll… see you soon."

"OK…" she smiled, backing into the apartment and tugging the door closed. "Bye…"


	27. Chapter 27

**27.**

September 8, 2013

Sunday got pretty wet, which just added to the bleak mood that had settled over her apartment. Sookie sat on the bay window, knees drawn to her chest, and tugged at the curtains to peer at the sky and down the street below. Her bay window faced the street behind the row house, which ran down straight into the cemetery gates. She looked over as a hearse eased onto the driveway and the gates opened slowly. A small group of people got out of a second car – all wearing black and huddling under umbrellas.

Sookie tipped her head back against the wall and let go of the curtain so it blanked out her view again and she sighed, thinking of the last funeral she had been to – her grandmother's. Life had been so different then, yet it looked like a whole hell of a lot longer than it had actually been – it felt almost as if she'd been a different person back then. A person who wouldn't be sitting here today, contemplating the things she had been contemplating.

The constant rain prevented her from going down to the park for another jog, so she was stuck here, staring at every corner of her bedroom, wondering what the creep could have touched. Chow hadn't been able to lift finger prints anywhere and was convinced he'd used gloves this time. But then she had to wonder, was it really the same guy? She knew why it _had_ to be, it was just too much of a coincidence for it to have been anybody else. But paranoia hardly ever left any room for logic.

After Eric left, she'd gone about dusting and cleaning everything, while double checking nothing was missing. When she realized she had been doing all that in her party dress it was too late, and she rolled her eyes at herself. She showered and bagged her dress to be carefully washed later. She'd just plunked herself on the couch in sweat shorts and a t-shirt to stare at the ceiling for a bit when there was knocking at the door. Holly had brought lunch because she had heard her downstairs and figured she would have been too tired to cook.

Holly Cleary had always been slightly maternal to her, even if she was too young to be her mother. And, truth be told, she just didn't mother her more often because Sookie wouldn't allow it. But she almost swept her landlady into a hug and cried into her shoulder right then at her door. Instead, she invited her in, and they both had lunch together, while Sookie told Holly the whole story. Holly barely ate, because she would often stop to gape at her.

Sookie knew she could trust Holly to be discreet, and that the woman had always had enormous respect for her grandmother, and wouldn't dare judge her. After they cleaned up after themselves, Holly left her to rest, and, because of the rain ruining her jogging, she just sat at the window and watched time pass.

But as the sky darkened, she'd had to move, and, finding two missed calls from Tara, she flinched. She hadn't wanted to keep her cell phone on at all today. She knew if Chow had to talk to her, he could just come knock on her door after all, and he never had. She'd meant to call Tara like she promised she would, to tell her all about the auction night. But in light of everything that happened, it completely slipped her mind. She tried calling her back, but only got to voice mail. She left her a message and put the phone away.

Screw studying for that quiz – she couldn't concentrate longer than 10 minutes. She would just apply for another one and deal with the lost credit. For dinner, she ate a bit of white cheese and some crackers – not the best of meals but she couldn't even bring herself to put together something decent.

She watched TV until midnight and then she forced herself to get up to go into her bedroom to sleep. Except she couldn't. She tossed and turned for over an hour before she gave up. She stood up, grabbed her robe and cell phone, and walked across the front room to get to her kitchen window where she gazed into the completely darkened window of Chow's and Eric's apartment across the street. She hesitated only a moment before she flipped her cell phone open and turned its bright screen towards the window – a neat trick she'd learned recently. She waved it around a little and it wasn't long before the phone buzzed in her hand. Sookie smiled down at her little screen, as _Eric N._ flashed back at her.

"Hey…" she answered.

"_Can't sleep?"_ he answered.

His voice seemed to reverberate inside her – and she let out a little breath, rolling her eyes at herself.

"Nope. I keep… hearing noises, normal night-time noises of things creaking and snapping, but my stupid brain keeps thinking it's someone breaking and entering again."

"_That's not unheard of,"_ he said back soothingly, obviously aware of her frustration.

"It's irrational!" she countered.

"_Some fears are irrational. But you have your reasons."_

Sookie rolled her eyes. "Are you my bodyguard or my analyst?"

Even his chuckle caused things in her to tingle. _"At this moment, I'm just being a friend."_

"Hum…" she glared into the dark window. "How did Niall take it?"

"_He's worried. He wanted me to convince you to move to Shreveport."_

Sookie snorted. "Yeah, like that's gonna happen! You told him it was useless right?"

"_No, I told him I would try, as it is my job."_

"Don't waste your breath."

"_The police has been to the trailer park where Rattray was supposedly living but they found nothing."_ He changed the subject.

"What trailer park?" Sookie asked, leaning into the window.

"_Edgewood…"_

"…Lot 308?"

"_Yes…"_

"Sam Merlotte is the owner."

"_So I've heard."_

"Did the police talk to him?"

"_I don't know. It was your local police who did it. We have yet to step in."_

"When were you planning to do that?"

"_Tomorrow. We'd like to find him soon."_

"Good. Take me with you."

"_Why?"_

"Because I know Sam. He might give me answers he wouldn't give to outsiders." She would feel better being somewhat useful in this whole thing, and not just the one they're protecting. "You want to get him before he breaks into the farmhouse, right? Well, let me help you. We go before I have to work."

There was a long pause. _"OK."_

"Yeah?" Sookie was actually surprised.

"_Yes. I'll take you with me."_

"Good! Do I get to be the bad cop?"

His chuckle on the other side made her grin proudly.

"_Go to bed, Sookie."_

She sighed. "I don't think I can… but I'll stop bugging you… I have a TV!" she shrugged when he was silent. "Night!" she hung up, taking her phone with her before she plunked down her couch and pawed around for the remote.

She let the TV on some documentary about dolphins and sunk down the couch trying to listen to any of it. But she really wasn't interested in the sex life of dolphins, or what happened when sharks attacked. She was pretty convinced she would be worthless tomorrow if she didn't get any sleep, and not even the sound of the rain battering against her roof was soothing her like it usually did.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when there were three sharp knocks on her door. She actually yelped and then immediately covered her mouth with both hands, embarrassed for herself.

Sookie switched off the TV so she could hear better and padded to her door slowly. She peered into the peephole and then laughed quietly to herself, touching her head to the door as she reached down to unlock it. Who had she been expecting anyway? Would her Thief _knock_?

"Hey…" she laughed as she swung the door open between them.

"You girls left the front door unlocked. Very foolish, considering what happened," Eric said seriously.

Sookie's relieved smile faltered a little and then she shrugged. "Yeah, but we have _you_ now."

Eric rolled his eyes, quite unimpressed with her. Before he could continue with his sermon, Sookie closed the distance between them, hoisted herself up and flung her arms around him as she kissed him, fingers going immediately into his hair, teeth tugging at his meaty bottom lip.

Eric didn't disappoint this time. One arm wrapped firmly around her lower back, one hand touched the side of her face and he pushed her back inside the apartment, retaliating her bite by swiping his tongue inside her mouth while he kicked the door closed behind him.

"Did you come here to sing me to sleep?" she whispered in his ear as she stumbled backwards, holding onto him and grinning as his mouth pressed to the juncture of her shoulder and neck – his prickly stubble causing the most delicious shivers to run down her spine.

"Oh, sleeping is the last thing you'll do now…"

* * *

Rain was pouring down vigorously now, and Eric stared at the ceiling as he listened to the hypnotic noises. He was lying on his back with an arm beneath his head. The sound took him back to the hottest summers in his mother's farm, where he'd lie awake in bed in nights like this, because he could see the water battering against the skylight glass, and he liked watching the water running across its surface, and guessing which way they'd travel to.

From his peripheral he saw when Sookie switched the bathroom light off. He looked over just as she stepped back into the bedroom, still completely naked, and walked back to bed, tugging the sheets so she could lie down. There wasn't a shy bone in her body, not that she had anything to be shy about. He let his eyes trail over her as she adjusted her pillows next to him, and he smiled at her knowing smirk before she flopped on her back next to him – he enjoyed watching the sway of her breasts before she pulled the blanket over them. She was amazing – and he was in so much trouble now.

"So do we talk now?" Sookie sighed, leaning her head onto his shoulder, but she gazed down the bed between them, both her hands on her stomach, her fingers entwining.

Eric reached with the hand that had been resting on his stomach and grasped one of hers, lifting it between them to stroke her palm with his thumb. Both were quiet for a moment, staring at their hands.

"What do you want to talk about?" he asked softly.

"Tell me about your son. Where is he?" she prodded him, letting him toy with her hand - she was fascinated by how tiny it looked in his much larger one.

"He's been travelling with his mother for the summer, which was why I hadn't really had much occasion to talk about him," Eric started. "But school started again, so he's coming back – he should be back this week."

"Back to Shreveport?" she prodded curiously.

"Yes. They live with his stepfather, who owns a lakeside Bed & Breakfast quite close to where Pam and Amelia live."

He drew circles on the back of her hand with his thumb, causing her to shudder. She snuggled closer into him, turning on her side. They moved together so they were more comfortable – he wrapped an arm around her, resting his hand on her hip and she toyed with the little hairs on his chest, her cheek on his shoulder.

"And he's eleven?" she asked.

"Yes."

"So… when you were my age… you were already a father…" she looked up at him curiously. "What's that like?"

He looked down at her, smirking. "Scary as fuck."

"Hum…" she rested her cheek back on his shoulder. "Were you guys married?"

"No. We were both single, and we remained single. She's happily married now." Eric stopped her hand as it was starting to tickle. "She was with the police too, she had a desk job and that's how we met."

"What's her name?"

"Maryann. She now works at the B&B with Jerry, that's the husband."

"And you guys get along OK?" Sookie's voice now had a bit of sleepiness to it, perhaps because he was currently stroking her hair.

"Yes, we do. We're great friends."

"Hum… that's different," Sookie sighed, rubbing her cheek onto his shoulder sleepily. "I don't think Holly even talks to her ex-husband anymore. She has a restraining order against him and everything."

"I would never do anything to risk my relationship with my son," Eric told her.

"Hmm…"

He glanced down to see she'd already closed her eyes, her long, pale lashes fanning across her still flushed cheeks. He reached to brush his thumb across her heated skin and smiled as she twitched her nose and snuggled closer into him.

"Good night, Sookie," he whispered to her.

"Hmm…" was her only response.

Unable to stop himself from the tender gesture, he pressed his lips to the top of her hair and inhaled – memorizing the smell of her shampoo. He tightened his arm around her body and closed his eyes, focusing on the rain again, so sleep would take him too.

* * *

September 9, 2013

Sookie woke up to find herself tangled in her sheets again, and sunlight blinding her from the window. She lifted her head off her pillow to glare at it accusingly, finding her curtains fully opened – it seemed like the sun had shoved all clouds away temporarily, though she could definitely still smell the rain. She looked next to her to find Eric's side of the bed empty and she huffed, unsurprised. She rolled onto her back, trying to rid herself from the sheets so she could scramble out of bed.

She grabbed her robe and threw it over her shoulders, and that's when she saw the note pinned to her huge red bag on top of her dresser. It said simply "_I'll pick you up at ten. I left toast and coffee for you. E."_

She snorted. He wouldn't stay to have breakfast with her but he _would_ feed her anyway. He seemed to like doing that. It took her a moment to process the picking her up part – until she remembered she'd asked to go with him to the trailer park. She checked her clock and groaned when she realized she had only one hour.

She should shower first, given she was still sweaty from last night's activities, but she could actually smell the coffee and toast now, and her stomach spoke louder. She left the note and yanked her bedroom door open, waltzing across the living room to get her breakfast.

It was going to be an interesting morning.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you all so very much for reading & reviewing. xoxo.**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: Thank you so so much for all your support! The muse has never been chubbier or happier. Xoxo.**

* * *

**28.**

September 9, 2013

_Merlotte's_ still looked somewhat busy when they arrived as they were still serving breakfast, but lunch time would be even worse. As soon as Sookie made it past the door, Arlene Fowler spotted her and made a bee line for her with eyes wide as saucers. She looked over her shoulder to see Eric taking a seat in one of the booths like she'd asked him and then she turned when she felt Arlene squirming in front of her.

"Hi, Sookie!" she smiled nervously. "How are you doing?"

"Good! Is Sam here?" she went straight to the point.

Arlene's nervous smile melted, but her eyes widened even more. "Yes, yes he is. He's working in the back."

"Good. Can you get him to come out here a moment? I need to talk to him."

Arlene looked around them nervously for a moment before she took a cautious step closer and lowered her voice. "Do you think that's a good idea Sookie?"

Sookie blinked at her. "Are you his keeper, Arlene?"

"Well... no…" Arlene pulled back a little insulted. "But I…"

"Are you in charge of keeping him out of trouble or out of my pants?" Sookie tossed back in a neutral tone.

"No!" Arlene shrieked with outrage.

"_Good_! Then go get him!" Sookie mimicked her wide eyes and shrieky voice.

Not waiting for any more of her antics, Sookie turned around and walked over to the booth Eric had taken, a waitress had sidled up next to him to take his order but he was currently sending her away, a little confused. She took a seat next to him and sighed.

"Now we wait."

"No one in the trailer park had ever heard of Rattray or recognized his picture," Eric said. "This might be a waste of time."

"Well, let's find out. If he had ever even _attempted_ to rent space in that park, he would have had to go through Sam first."

"I suppose that's him," Eric nodded with his head.

Sookie turned her head to see Sam was indeed walking towards them, with a very confused expression on his face. He looked much like she remembered him, though she'd avoided him like the plague for the longest time. He had more gray to his hair, and more hair than she remembered, for that matter – he still looked ruggedly handsome, if a bit older. Sam was not too short, nor too tall, but he was fit, with sweet blue eyes women loved to swoon over when he wasn't looking. Those eyes were currently a bit wide and uncertain, and Sookie did her best to smile disarmingly at him as he stepped up to their booth.

"Hey, Sam!"

"Sookie…" Sam started cautiously, glancing at Eric suspiciously and then back at her. "It's uh… quite a surprise!"

"Yeah!" Sookie laughed casually. "Have you got a minute? I need your help with something…" she nodded towards the bench across from them. "Take a seat."

"…alright…" Sam seemed to reluctantly agree, sitting across from them and eyeing them both uncertainly. His arms resting on the table top as he rubbed his hands together nervously. "And… who might you be?" he addressed Eric after a moment.

"Oh, I'm sorry, this is Eric Northman, friend of mine from Shreveport." Both men shook hands over the table politely, both assessing each other quietly. Sookie watched them curiously, aware Sam was more than a little taken aback. "Eric, this is Sam Merlotte, he owns the trailer park, like I told you," she finished the introductions as they sat back.

"Oh… is this about the trailer park?" Sam said blinking from one to the other, suddenly relieved. "Are you looking for a place to park yours, Mr. Northman?"

"No, not exactly," Eric spoke at last, looking sideways at Sookie, who remained quiet. "I actually have some questions about one of your supposed renters, Mr. Merlotte."

Sam blinked, sagging in his seat slightly, looking more than a little puzzled as he looked between the stranger in front of him and an observant Sookie.

"Oh…? Who might that be?"

"Mack Rattray," Eric said without preamble. "He claimed to live in your land, though he gave no details. Could you confirm that?"

Sam narrowed his eyes, now looking at Sookie. "What's going on here Sookie? Who is this guy?"

Sookie arched her eyebrows. "It's a simple question Sam…"

"Yeah, a simple question the police has already been asking around Edgewood. Are you with the police?" Sam glared at Eric dubiously. "I've never seen you here before."

"Did the police question you Mr. Merlotte?" Eric asked patiently.

"No, not personally." Sam looked at Sookie again. "Sookie?"

"Did Mack Rattray rent from you or not, Sam?" she rolled her eyes impatiently.

"No, he did _not_..." Sam said plainly. "What's going on?"

Sookie sighed deeply, and decided to play dirty. "Mack Rattray broke into Jason's house, Sam. He also broke into my apartment… just this Saturday."

Sam's whole demeanor changed, from anxious to preoccupied. He trailed his eyes over what he could see of her and leaned forward on the table.

"Are you OK? Did something happen to you?"

"I'm fine! I wasn't home, obviously. But, we're a little pressed for information as he seems to have a Stackhouse-agenda…" she added in a conspiratorial whisper. "So, if you know this man at all, it could help _me_ greatly!"

Sam looked between them again, clearly, Eric's presence was bothering him, but he finally let his guard down, exhaling deeply. He propped both arms and hands fully on the table and leaned forward, looking at each of them in the eye before he started talking, in a quiet, measured tone.

"Mack Rattray sells illegal substances to several of my tenants. Obviously, when the police came asking, all of them denied knowing him."

"And so did you!" Sookie surmised with a judging look.

Sam looked mildly put off but he shrugged. "They didn't talk to me. But if I make it difficult for them, I lose them to some junkyard in Hotshot. They might be trash, but they pay their rent!"

Sookie rolled her eyes and huffed in disgust.

"How well do you know Mack Rattray?" Eric interrupted their private conversation.

"Not well at all," Sam said, slightly defensive. "I caught him in my land _once_ and told him to never linger. He never comes to the bar and I never did any sort of business with him, as his landlord _or_ otherwise – before you ask…" he finished, taking a deep breath. "Now I'm sorry to hear he's stolen from you…" he looked back at Sookie with concern. "Are you still living at Holly's?"

"Would you know where we can _find him_?" Eric interrupted again.

Sam looked away from Sookie, a little annoyed, and smiled tightly. "No, I wouldn't. Like I said, I never did any business with him."

"But your tenants do, _constantly_," Eric reminded him. "Anyone in particular you'd recommend we talk to?"

Sam frowned looking from one to the other again before addressing Eric with a big shrug. "_Who are you?_"

"He's helping _me_, Sam…" Sookie cut quickly before Eric could answer. "OK? He's helping me. We really need to find this Rattray guy…" she leaned over the table as well to try and draw his attention from Eric, whom he was attempting to stare _down_, not with a lot of success given Eric was much taller. "So… a name? Please?"

Sam finally looked back at her and sighed. "Fine. But you're not getting him into trouble, are you?" he directed the question at Eric, who shook his head. "Fine." Sam sighed. "There's this one tenant… he's a little weird… but I hear whenever Rattray's around, he lingers…"

"He… lingers?" Sookie arched her eyebrows.

"In this one man's trailer. His name is Bubba, he lives closest to the creek. He's real gentle, a bit strange up here…" he pointed to his head. "But he's good people. He might know how and where you can find that man."

"Just Bubba?"

"His real name is Aaron Presslee, but don't call him that, he's a bit weird about it… he could get violent!"

Eric and Sookie exchanged a curious glance. Sam sighed, running a hand through his shaggy hair. "Look just go easy on him, OK?"

"Yeah, OK… we will…" Sookie said gently.

"You have nothing to worry about," Eric added."We should get going," He said to Sookie.

She nodded and started scooting out of the booth. As she stood, Sam turned in his seat, looking at her hesitatingly as though he wanted to ask her something, but then his eyes flitted to her companion and he looked down in dismay.

"Thank you for your help, Sam…" Sookie said, genuinely appreciative.

"You're welcome…" he smiled tightly. "Are you taking good care of yourself?"

Sookie felt a little awkward being asked that and she fidgeted for a moment. "Yeah!"

Sam nodded, still smiling. But Sookie never returned the courtesy, and he just dropped his eyes between them again.

"You really were very helpful, Mr. Merlotte. Thank you for your cooperation," Eric offered his hand again.

"Right…" Sam shook his hand firmly, still seated as he was. "No problem. It was uh… nice to meet you…"

Sookie led the way out, ignoring Arlene Fowler staring daggers at her, or Lafayette Reynolds poking his head out of the kitchen to see her there. She stepped on the gravel in the parking lot and kept marching forward without pausing. She was suddenly aware of Eric trailing behind at a slower pace and she stopped to turn and look at him funny, the sunlight forcing her to shield her eyes.

"Hurry up slowpoke! I have work at noon!"

Eric didn't speed up, but approached her with a curious expression. "You're not coming with me. I think I can handle _Bubba_ on my own."

"What? Why not? You didn't like having me for a partner, _partner_?" she poked his arm playfully as he caught up to her.

Eric smirked and walked around her to get to the car. "I just don't need you. I clearly needed you to soften Mr. Merlotte up a bit, though…" he pulled the passenger door open for her. "But I think I can take it from here."

Sookie rolled her eyes, grabbing onto the door and stopping to stare at him. "Small towns, Mr. Northman… a friendly face can get you places."

"What's the story there? I felt like I was interrupting something private for a moment," he asked curiously, narrowing his eyes at her.

Sookie opened her mouth to reply but then she smirked. "You didn't do thorough work on me, Mr. Northman, or you'd know…" she got into the car and yanked the door closed between them.

She waited until he'd gotten inside and then turned to him. "He's an ex," she shrugged, deciding to be completely honest considering what had been going on between them. Even if it wasn't serious between them, it was best to never leave any doubts hanging. "We broke up three years ago."

Eric looked at her, surprised, and she could see him doing the math silently, but he said nothing and neither did she. He nodded after a moment and started the car without any comment.

"Seatbelt," he reminded her.

Sookie rolled her eyes at herself and sat up straight to tug at the belt behind her.

Since he insisted he didn't need her anymore, she asked him to drop her near Tara's house in the rural strip, it was on his way to Edgewood anyway, so he dropped her at Tara's door.

"So, I see you tonight?" she asked him as she unbuckled herself.

"Probably not. Chow will be here shortly and he'll be watching you for the rest of the day and night. He'll have the new front door key, we convinced Ms. Cleary to change it."

"If you get a lead, will you go after Rattray today?" she asked curiously.

"Yes." His eyes flitted to somewhere behind her and then he nodded. "There's your friend."

Sookie looked over her shoulder to see Tara opening the gate and peering into the tinted windows knowingly.

"Right… well…" she tugged at the handle. "Good luck!"

She left quickly before she was stuck wondering whether it was appropriate to give him a kiss. It probably wasn't. She closed the door and turned immediately away so she wouldn't linger awkwardly.

"Hey girl!" Tara joined her pulling her into a big hug. "I was worried about you!"

"Yeah, sorry… it was a bit crazy yesterday…"

They started heading into her front yard and she heard Eric's car pulling away. She quickly looked over her shoulder, and was unsurprised to see Chow parking across the street.

* * *

After telling Tara everything about the auction, and what happened to her apartment, while completely skirting around the fact she'd had sex with her bodyguard twice now, Tara sat across the table from her while they ate lunch completely flabbergasted.

"What do you think this guy could want?" Tara asked, grabbing her iced tea for a drink.

Sookie shrugged, toying with her celery stick instead of actually eating it. "I don't know. Something incriminating. The only place left for him to look is whatever's left of ours in the old farmhouse."

"Have you talked to the Clearwaters yet?" Tara asked curiously.

"No. I think the boys are probably on it though. They might have someone watching the house or something."

"It would be kind of hard to hide in plain sight over there!" Tara pointed out.

Sookie nodded thoughtfully, taking a bite of her celery stick. "You're right…"

"Maybe you should just go there and ask them if they still have your stuff…" Tara suggested, bracing her arms on the table and leaning forward. "If they do, you can take it all someplace safe and make sure the Rat never gets it."

Sookie nodded, still thinking. "Maybe…"

"We'll go there tonight after work!" Tara decided, slapping her hand on the table. "You get one of your shadows to drive us. We put all we can in his car, take it back to your place."

"I think they were hoping to ambush him though."

Tara shrugged. "So? It doesn't mean your stuff _has_ to be there."

Sookie shook her head. "I'll have to think this through. Talk it through with Eric at least."

Tara sagged, disappointed, apparently she was looking for adventure. "Shit, we have to get going. Fucking work…"

"Yeah…" Sookie turned to look at the wall clock, still thinking about the Clearwaters and her grandmother's house.

* * *

Eric found Aaron "Bubba" Presslee's trailer where Sam Merlotte had said he would. Almost at the edge of the property, near a small creek that ran across one side of the fence to the other, and disappeared in the middle of the high vegetation. It was a large trailer with an improvised porch and a canopy. At the porch sat a large man with large, dark sunglasses, a large cowboy hat, white washed jeans and a vintage Elvis Presley t-shirt. Somewhere in the trailer, _Hound Dog_ was blasting from the stereo. He held a can of beer and tapped his foot to the beat of the song.

"Excuse me, are you Bubba?" Eric called out as he approached, waving and smiling politely.

"Who's asking?" the man shouted over the music.

"I'm Eric Northman. Sam Merlotte referred me to you." He came to a stop in front of him.

Bubba made a signal so he'd wait and he got up from his folding beach chair with some difficulty and started shuffling to the side – he grabbed a remote, aimed it through the window at the stereo, and turned down the volume considerably, much to Eric's relief.

"You were saying, sir?" Bubba turned back to him, his eyes impossible to see because of his sunglasses. "Sam Merlotte sent you?"

"Yes…"

"Did he tell you I don't perform anymore?" he asked with a casual shrug.

Eric arched his eyebrows curiously and then shook his head slowly. "No, he didn't. I…"

"Well I don't!" Bubba waved his arms tiredly, shuffling back to his chair. "Last time I did it at a friend's little daughter's birthday party…" he sat down with a thump. "Kids don't appreciate magicians and clowns like they used to, mister. And her little girl cried and cried till I gave her my bunny rabbit! So now I don't even have Mr. Carrotcakes anymore!" he spread his arms dramatically. "Kids right?" he took a deep gulp from his beer. "I'm just happy to sit here with my retirement check – Sam's a good man, he keeps my rent steady, you see? So I'm sorry, but you'll have to find somebody else for your birthday party, mister."

Eric blinked back at the man repeatedly until he finished and then he nodded with another polite smile. "I understand all that, Bubba. I'm sorry about your rabbit," Bubba waved him away, taking another swig. "But I'm actually here about something else."

"Oh?" Bubba's thick, black eyebrows arched above the rim of his glasses. "Wassat then?"

"I'm looking for an acquaintance of yours, I hear he could help me with something I need," Eric started vaguely, while Bubba listened attentively, his expressive eyebrows moving again as he probably guessed who it was he was referring to. "I really would like to find him soon."

Bubba leaned forward in his folding beach chair curiously. "Are you talking about Mack?" he nodded. "Sure, Mack can fix you with anything you need! Ain't that right, Mack?" Bubba shouted over his shoulder, and then smiled at Eric.

Eric blinked at him and then eyed the trailer quietly. After another beat, Bubba started slapping the trailer wall behind him.

"Hey, Mack! There's somebody here to see you!"

From inside the trailer there were a series of loud noises of things being dropped and pushed aside and someone moving at great speed across the length of the trailer. Then there was the sound of crashing glass and Eric was already moving when he caught sight of the small, scrawny-man in dirty jeans and a red t-shirt pushing himself through the broken windshield and landing on the grass.

"Mack, what the hell…?" Bubba was standing slowly behind him.

Eric recognized the little man from the mugshot as he scrambled to his feet, eyes wide and on him as he started running away.

"Fuck…" Eric jumped over a large crate of fruit at the end of Bubba's porch and gave immediate chase to the little man.


	29. Chapter 29

**29.**

September 9, 2013

The work day at _Grab It Kwik_ was nothing out of the ordinary. Just normal Monday stuff – as Sookie put it. She had her fifteen minute break in which she listened to Tara talking about what was going on with her for a change. Then she went back to her cash register where she was blissfully ignorant of the drama in her own life. It was easy to forget all the things that were out of the ordinary when she was at work.

For a few hours, she even forgot about Mack Rattray and the break in, and the auction on Saturday. They seemed like distant memories in face of the much more immediate dramas she currently faced. Like running out of roll paper for the register, or like credit card machine malfunctions, or expired consumables, or misplaced price tags.

So when Amelia Broadway sidled up next to her at the end of the day, smiling and waving hello, it took her a couple of seconds to catch up.

"Oh, hi!" she piped in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Dropping by to check on you!" Amelia shrugged.

"And… to buy Cheetos apparently!" Sookie said, picking up the only item in her basket.

"You know I think Pam secretly really likes them!" Amelia observed. "I swear she came home the other night, and she kissed me, and she had Cheetos breath!"

"And you're encouraging her!" Sookie teased her. "That's love!"

"Isn't it?" Amelia grinned. "I'll be waiting for you in the parking lot for debriefing!" she added in a conspiratorial whisper after she paid for her purchase.

"OK…" Sookie trailed off curiously. She watched as Amelia happily sauntered away and frowned.

"So who's that again?" Tara asked behind her.

"That's Amelia, she's Pam's wife."

"Pam's the assistant right…" Tara squinted trying to remember what she'd been told.

"Yep."

"These people have a strange relationship with boundaries, don't they?" Tara snorted.

Sookie arched her eyebrows slightly, thinking about what her relationship with her bodyguard said about boundaries right now. She shook her head and decided not to explore that one right now.

After work was done, she took her time in the locker room, letting the rush of the shift change pass so she wouldn't be seen when she met with Amelia outside. Tara eyed her curiously when she noticed her lingering, but simply wished her good night and headed home. Once she was more comfortable, she grabbed her purse and stepped out onto the parking lot.

Amelia was waiting for her outside her car, an actual _green_ Prius, for the overkill, she supposed. They got in the car and she noticed Chow parked across from them. She looked over at Amelia and noticed the newspaper on her lap and then she flinched a little, finally realizing what it was she was probably here about.

"Is that what I think it is…?" Sookie nodded at the paper on her lap.

"Oh… yeah…" Amelia swiped it up and cleared her throat. "It says: _A surprise guest at the bi-annual Dalton's Medical Research Auction caused a bit of a flurry. Real Estate Giant Niall Brigant introduced his great-granddaughter Sookie Stackhouse. Friend of the family, Anna Vega told our reporter she is not a Shreveport resident and attended solely to the delight of her great-grandfather and cousin Claudine Crane who she is very close to…_" Amelia paused and laughed. "Then there's a picture of Claudine kissing you on the cheek while Niall smiles," she rolled her eyes. "Then it goes on to say what you're both wearing, and then it keeps going about other people…" she offered her the paper. "I told you it wasn't so bad."

Sookie gaped back at her. "So Claudine and I are gal pals?"

"It's best that people think you are."

Sookie rolled her eyes and took the paper from her to gaze down at the colored photograph. She made a face and put it away quickly. At least it was a profile full-body picture and her face wasn't that visible – unless people actually read the article, they may never know it was her, and the caption on the bottom didn't even include her name, but it said _Brigant cousins at the Dalton Auction_.

"Pam worked hard to get it to be as vague as it could be," Amelia said as she took the paper back.

Sookie smiled. "Pam's amazing."

"Yes, I know she is!" Amelia grinned. "So, I've heard what happened to your apartment," she became serious. "How are you dealing?"

Sookie shrugged. "I don't know. I mean I was shaken, obviously. And I couldn't quite sleep…" she trailed of and rolled her eyes. "I'm paranoid now, I guess?"

"Well I would be too," Amelia said kindly. "But at least you have the boys with you at all times…" she looked across the parking lot towards Chow's car. "It wouldn't have happened if you had been home, I guess."

"No, I don't think so…"

They stayed quiet for a moment, staring across the parking lot. Sookie heaved a sigh. She started thinking about the Clearwaters again.

"Hey, do you want to go out for pizza?" Amelia suggested happily.

Sookie smiled at her. "Are you guys trying to adopt me or something?"

Amelia chuckled. "Like I said, I felt like you could use a friend." She paused. "I mean, I know you have friends. But friends you can talk to about all the… overwhelmingly new stuff I guess?"

Sookie nodded. "I appreciate it."

"Good! Then let's go get some pizza!" Amelia started the car, as though that settled matters.

Staying out of the house for a couple more hours turned out to be a good thing. Amelia was pleasant company, and she actually asked more about her life, not just what was going on with the Brigant-side of it. She also told her more about herself and her struggling life since she was kicked out of the house. It distracted her for a longer time and in the end, she was grateful for the reprieve. Before they said goodbye when Amelia dropped her in front of her house, she did say Pam was going to contact her soon about _family stuff_ – but Sookie was glad Amelia had chosen to say that _after_ their pleasant evening together.

They said goodnight and she went inside, with her new front door keys Chow gave her earlier. She climbed up the steps in twos and finally reached her door in a breathless state. She didn't have to do much more than shower to feel overwhelming exhaustion taking over her. Having slept worth shit for the last two nights because of, well, intercourse, and also paranoia, she was finally ready to cash out those extra hours. She fell asleep almost immediately upon resting her head on her pillows.

* * *

The bathroom door swung open suddenly behind him and Eric saw through the mirror when Pam waltzed in, leaving the door to close itself silently behind her as she marched towards him with a bemused expression.

"Let me see it…" she gestured impatiently waiting for him to turn around for her.

He turned around, still holding the paper towel to his lip. He dropped it so Pam could see the cut. She flinched and took the paper towel from him, leaning closer to take a better look.

"Is it still bleeding?" she asked.

"No, it's fine… it's just a little sore," he pulled back from her fussing and grabbed his paper towel back, turning around to check it on the mirror again. "What do you want Pam?"

"To make sure you're bloody okay! You come here with a busted lip and lock yourself in the study with Niall for over an hour…"

"And you're mad that you didn't get invited," Eric teased her.

Pam rolled her eyes. "Oh, like I care. You both tell me everything anyway. Is it true? Have you got Rattray?"

"Yes."

"Did he fucking _punch_ you?"

"Yes."

"Does he look worse?" Pam asked seriously.

"He looks fine," Eric chuckled. "I didn't retaliate, I just stopped him. Is that what you really want to know?" he turned back around, tossing the paper towel in the trash.

"No. I have deep faith in anger management therapy," she deadpanned.

"I'm sure you do." He leaned back against the counter. "Niall's unhappy."

"Well, I would think the fact the little man didn't cough up Gus's name would make him feel better?"

"How do you know that?" Eric asked, surprised.

"I had my ear glued to the door," Pam shrugged.

"You make me so proud."

"Who did he say made him do it then?" she prodded.

"He called him Marshall, he met him personally _once_ in Hotshot, where he does his drug business. But that is most likely a fake name."

"And what is he looking for?"

"Letters."

Pam made a face. "Letters? What kind of letters?"

"Letters from a Stan Davis," Eric shrugged.

"Who the fuck is Stan Davis?" Pam snapped.

"We're looking into any number of Stan Davises we can find – but someone who corresponded with Corbett Stackhouse obviously?"

"And I'm guessing Rattray didn't know what these letters mean?" Pam rolled her eyes.

"No. He's been hired to find them, that's all."

"Was he _following_ Jason Stackhouse, though? Or was his presence in the same church relief group a coincidence?"

"He claims he didn't know anything about Jason before he took the job, he knew he was with the group but that was it. It turns out he _is_ a common thief who was scouting for victims."

"Someone knew what he was and thought he was a convenient rat…" Pam deduced, her hands on her hips.

"That's likely."

Pam shook her head, sighing. "This is getting weirder and weirder…" she stepped to the side rubbing the back of her neck with her hand. "What did he tell you about this _Marshall_?"

"A friend asked him if he wanted a good pay-check, they told him to be in a certain alley at a certain date and time. It was the middle of the night, he got into a car with the man, he was middle aged, wearing a cap and sunglasses, he talked like a local."

"Ugh…" Pam plucked her hair. "And then what? He had no ways of contacting him? How would he collect the money?"

"We're working on it, we're trying to find the friend who put Rattray up to the job, in Hotshot. Some guy named Murry." Eric followed Pam pacing around the large bathroom with sympathetic eyes. "Whoever this Marshall is, he isn't even our main problem, he's only part of it. Warren pulled his people away, Pelt and Herveaux have left the state."

"And now someone wants some bloody Stackhouse letters…" Pam stopped pacing. "You need that file on Corbett Stackhouse, Eric."

Eric nodded. "When I called Deputy Jones to give her Rattray, I spoke to her about it. She's working with the department to get it."

"Good." Pam sighed. "What about the Clearwaters?"

"They've been out of town since the start of the summer.

Pam frowned. "And the house?"

"Locked up."

"So Rattray could have already broken in?"

"He didn't. He wasn't aware the house had belonged to them."

Pam nodded. "We just have to get in first then. Now that we know what he wanted, maybe Sookie and Jason can help us find it. Maybe if you tell Sookie about these letters she will remember having seen them or something."

"Maybe."

"When are you going back?"

"Not tonight. Maryann called me today, they're back – I'm going to see Danny tomorrow."

"Oh he's back?" Pam smiled, her distress disappearing entirely. "Great! Bring him over! Let's have a family dinner tomorrow night!"

"He might like that."

"Of course! I'm his favorite Aunt!" Pam rolled her eyes.

Eric chuckled, pushing away from the counter. "Maryann's sister might disagree."

Pam followed him out of the bathroom. "So, we're set for dinner tomorrow?" she asked hopefully.

"I'll let you know. I need to call Chow, and then I'm going to bed."

"OK. But seriously, dinner tomorrow!" she pointed at him imperiously as he walked away.

Eric raised his hands non-commitally and then walked past the double doors out into the lobby.

* * *

Eric hadn't been sleeping in his own home for quite a while now. It was almost strange to walk into his apartment in the middle of the night. The microwave oven digital clock was telling him it was fifteen past midnight when he came in through the service elevator straight from the garage. He stepped into the kitchen and tossed his keys on the counter before heading into the living room.

He lived in a small six storey high apartment building, half way between Brigant Park IV and his son's home. It was how he accommodated both aspects of his life best. When he came to work for Niall, he could have acquired an apartment closer if needed – but as it turned out, Niall's security concerns were elsewhere.

While he trusted him to hire and train her personal security staff, which included the security of his building, the reason he wanted him at the front of everything was what he'd called an increasing paranoia that everyone was out to get him and his innocent, estranged great-grandchildren. Sadly, the more involved they became, the clearer it was maybe he wasn't paranoid after all.

So in the earliest months, he'd taken time to actually build a life in Shreveport, he rented the apartment with Pam's help and he was closer to his son. Daniel had been very happy when he learned he was going to live in Shreveport.

Pam had often joked the Northman men were cursed with falling for Southerners. Both Eric's birth mother and the mother of his son were from Louisiana. It seemed that no matter what they did, they gravitated to the South.

Bobby Burnham was his eyes and ears in Bon Temps for the first couple of months. But now it felt like he had been living in Bon Temps for longer than he had been living in Shreveport again, even though it just wasn't true.

His apartment looked and smelled clean. Pam had a housekeeper coming twice a week to air the whole place out and dust off whatever needed dusting. He obviously didn't have anything in the fridge but he'd already eaten.

Eric ridded himself of his jacket and tie and flopped down on the armchair across his bed before getting his phone out.

"Chow."

"_Nice to hear from you, boss. I was getting bored."_

"Do you want more excitement? I'll put you on chasing duty next time."

"_Bobby told me. Are you alright?"_

"I'm fine. How is _she_?"

"_Your sister's girl showed up in the evening. Picked her up from work, took her to a restaurant. Then she drove her home. It's been quiet ever since – lights all off."_

"Good." Eric pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'll need you to ask her something in the morning."

"_What's that?"_

"Ask her if she knew a Stan Davis. Ask her if she's aware he wrote to her father, and if she would know where these letters are if that's the case. They're what Rattray was after."

"_Got it. Are we looking into who this man is yet?"_

"Bobby and Molly are."

"_When are you coming back?"_

"I'll be here tomorrow all day for personal reasons. I probably won't start driving back until late into the evening. Get Molly to replace you if you have to. With Felton in jail she's getting kind of bored."

"_Okay."_

"Alright… I'm going to hit the sack."

"_Rub it in will ya?"_

He chuckled. "Night, Chow."

He knew he should probably shower before getting into bed, maybe just getting the rest of his clothes off would be an upgrade. But he couldn't muster the energy to do more than lift himself off the armchair and then land on the bed on his back, kicking his shoes off in the process. He looked into his phone to check the time, it was too late to check in with her now. She had been tired, she deserved her sleep.

Besides it wouldn't even be appropriate to call her. Chow had everything under control. Sighing, Eric looked into his picture gallery, promptly finding the picture he'd taken of Sookie sleeping this morning. It was a close up of her face, partially concealed by a mess of golden stray hairs. She had her eyes fully closed and she was hugging her pillow, one smooth, pale shoulder pulling up against her cheek, she'd been ticklish when he brushed hair away from her nose.

After months of hiding around and watching her from afar, this felt like his one truly voyeuristic act. One surreptitious snapshot in the bedroom, a memento he didn't have the right to keep. His thumb hovered above the trash-can icon, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. It was the one picture of hers that actually belonged to him in a way – it was really her, in a peaceful, disarming moment where she'd let her guard down with him next to her for an entire night.

Sighing, he postponed trashing the picture. He told himself he'd do it tomorrow. He was too tired now for moral dilemmas. Still holding the cell phone to his chest he dropped his head back into the pillow and closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead with his other hand. He fell asleep fully clothed, his feet dangling to the side of the bed.

* * *

**A/N: I just wanted to say you guys have been great. Seriously. Without your support I don't know that would be as active as I have been, so thank you! Either here or on my blog, feedback has been keeping me steady, you rock.**


	30. Chapter 30

**30.**

September 10, 2013

Sookie came in early to the Fortenberry's Hardware store and only a couple of heads lifted when she sent the chimes going with her entrance. She looked around, wringing her hands as she looked for Hoyt. She found him behind the counter in the back, reading something with a big frown on his face. She looked around to make sure Fortenberry Senior wasn't within eavesdropping distance before she walked up to her distracted friend.

"Hey…" she called out casually.

"Oh… hey…" Hoyt looked up slowly from his reading and then put his book down. "There's our new celebrity!" he joked, approaching the counter.

"What?" Sookie blinked at him.

"Mama saw you in the paper." Hoyt looked around, apparently looking for eavesdroppers himself. "So the truth comes out…"

Sookie made a face, the unexpected subject making her mood drop. "Yeah, whatever."

Hoyt chuckled. "I'm just surprised no one's talking about it yet."

"Yeah, well… now that Maxine knows I'm sure everyone will soon be talking about it…"

Hoyt frowned at her. "Hey, now…"

"Look, I didn't come to talk about the newest gossip about me…" Sookie cut him impatiently. "I came to ask you something." She toned it down a little, realizing if she wanted his help, she couldn't be so snippy with the guy.

"Okay…" Hoyt leaned onto the counter curiously.

"Do you know the Clearwaters?" she asked casually.

"Matt and Bev Clearwater?"

"Yes."

"Well, sure, they came in once in a while. Pops chatted with Matt a few times. Why?"

"Did you know they're out of town?"

"Yeah. I did. They came in right before they left town."

"Did they buy stuff…?" Sookie asked innocently.

"Yep. If I remember correctly they did." Hoyt frowned. "Why are you asking?"

"I kind of needed to talk to them. It's important. You wouldn't have their number for emergencies or anything, would you?" she added hopefully.

"I ah… I may have a number…" Hoyt narrowed his eyes at her. "What are you up to?"

Sookie huffed. "That's my business."

Hoyt rolled his eyes and started turning away. "Fine, good luck getting that number."

"When did you turn into such an asshole?!" Sookie snapped at him.

"Hey I don't _have_ to give you that number! They're customers, it's private information! So I can be as much of an asshole about it was I want!" Hoyt turned on her, drawing the attention of the very few people milling about with his voice.

"Is everything alright here?" Fortenberry senior appeared behind Sookie, eyeing is son reproachfully. "Do you need help with anything, Sookie?" he asked her politely.

Sookie was still glaring a Hoyt, who looked mildly chastised for a second before looking away, clearly put off.

"No, thank you, Mr. Fortenberry…" Sookie said calmly turning away from the counter. "I don't think you have what I need…."

Sookie marched across the store without looking sideways once, aware of her face flushing and her blood boiling. She pushed through the door and let out a huge sigh as she slowed down once she was out in the parking lot. The sunlight causing her to squint her eyes as she paced herself, and tried to gather her thoughts.

"You know, not to excuse the fact you were probably out of line, but he really is an asshole." A vaguely familiar voice said from behind her.

Sookie turned around curiously to see Portia Bellefleur strutting slowly towards her, a shopping bag dangling from her arms as she put her sunglasses on. Sookie eyed her curiously, wondering why Portia would be out shopping for freaking hardware, she probably had people to do that _for_ her.

"What?" she blurted a little dazedly.

"The Fortenberry boy…" Portia gestured behind her into the store as she came to a stop in front of her. "The kid's probably still pissed you kicked him to the curb and is telling all of his friends what a horrible, using little man eater you are."

Sookie gaped at her. "What?" she seemed stuck on that word at the moment.

Portia hooked her arm through hers as though they'd always been best friends and started leading the way across the parking lot at a leisure pace. "I'm saying some men don't know how to handle when we play their game better than they do. He's upset you didn't want him that bad. So he's all passive-aggressive now – and frankly… those men don't make the best of friends. So if you want my advice, cut him loose… for _good_. He's Jason's friend, not yours!" Portia shrugged.

Sookie just listened to her and her frown deepened as her words registered, and, though they made sense, she was still mostly stuck on the fact Portia Bellefleur was giving her advice like she actually knew what she was talking about.

"Uh…" Sookie mumbled.

"What were you looking the Clearwaters for anyway?" Portia interrupted her curiously.

"Ah…"

Man, she was really killing it with the words today! Portia looked at her with amusement and then, suddenly, it all clicked in place for her. She was a Bellefleur. If anyone could make anything happen in this town, it would be Bellefleurs. Why not take a chance? She had already embarrassed herself at the Hardware store anyway, why not extend it to the parking lot?

"Well, you see… when we had to leave the farmhouse, we couldn't afford to take all of our family belongings," she started as casually as possible. "So, obviously, when the Clearwaters moved in, they must have encountered a lot of our… junk…" she rolled her eyes dismissively. "But well… they're our junk – and I really wanted to talk to them, to see if… in case they didn't throw it all away… they could.. you know… let me come get them…" she wrung her hands nervously and shrugged.

Portia nodded seriously. "I think that's a very reasonable request the Clearwaters would be very kind to attend."

"D'you really think so?"

"Well, yes, the Clearwaters are good people!" Portia waved her hand away casually. "Mother talks to them frequently, at the country club."

"Ah, yes…"

"I'm sure mom can reach Bev and talk to her about it – if you're in some hurry?" Portia looked at her curiously."Maybe some… pressing documents to find?"

Sookie blinked in confusion, until it finally downed to her – she'd read the news paper.

"Yeah… something like that…" she said vaguely.

"I'll talk to Mom…" Portia said with a casual wave of her hand. "And seriously… cut the Fortenberry boy loose!" she said again as she let go of her arm to deactivate her car alarm. "And if you must have fun in the future, girl…" she pulled the door open with a smirk. "Try a real man - with no gossip radius around him."

Sookie could swear she winked at her before she got into her car. She stepped back to let her drive past her and she watched her disappear with her jaw still slightly ajar. Four days as an alleged wealthy heiress and she was already friends with a Bellefleur – perhaps Amelia wasn't wrong about that new money crap.

* * *

Eric watched as children spilled out through the gates of the school like ants swarming out of a hole. He was looking for one particular little ant and when he spotted him, he smiled with relief.

Daniel had dark hair, like his mother, and blue eyes, like his father. He wasn't any taller than most of the kids his age, which was a bit of a mystery. Maryann herself was quite tall for a woman, as were her brothers and sisters, but the doctors promised them he didn't have any growth stunt problems, and at any moment he could have his growth spurt. He still walked with his eyes on the floor, he could see – sometimes, they teased him about living in a different frequency, the kid was often distracted, daydreaming, or lost deep into his thoughts.

But Eric waited to see if he'd spot him anyway, and, eventually, he did. He looked up right at him and for a moment he stopped, before he opened a bright smile. Eric waved at him and unlocked the door as his son jogged across the remaining distance between them before getting into the car.

"Hey Dad!" he beamed at him, pulling the door closed behind him.

"Hey there, kid, welcome back…" he ruffled through his hair affectionately. "How was school?"

The kid shrugged. "It was okay."

"Yeah? Well put your seatbelt on, and let's go see your mom," he told him as he started the car. "Did you have fun in Maui?"

"Yep."

"Yeah? Well you look very tanned."

"Yeah."

"Did your teachers give you a hard time about missing two weeks of school?"

"I brought them gifts, they're OK now," the boy shrugged.

"Oh, so you bribed them? That's fantastic!"

"Right?" the boy laughed.

Eric shook his head and ruffled his son's hair again to tease him – the boy ducked away whining, but laughing at the same time.

"I'm glad your back, Danny. I missed you."

"I missed you too Dad… Oh, I brought you a gift too!"

"Well now I missed you even more!"

"Yeah I know, I can feel it Dad…"

The school wasn't far from Jerry's B&B, and Eric found an easy parking spot just in front of the stairs. Danny pushed his door opened and stepped out just as his mother appeared on the top steps and waved.

"Hey! Look what you found!" Maryann joked.

Maryann Forrester was a tall, dark-haired woman with dark brown eyes and lithe features. She had been a ballerina before she joined the police, and she still had all the gracefulness of a dancer. She stepped down the stairs swiftly and met her son with a peck on the cheek.

"Did you like your surprise?" she asked, proceeding to remove the smudge of lipstick from his cheek while her son nodded. "Yeah? Well, then go shower so you can spend more time with your Dad – and say hello to Jerry!"

"Kay!" the boy said as he started running up the steps. "Later Dad!"

"Don't forget my present!" Eric shouted after him.

"Kaaay!"

"And look at you!" Maryann turned to Eric as Daniel's footsteps faded away. "What happened here?" she touched his chin and nodded at his bruised lower lip.

"Ah… work-related injury," Eric waved it off.

"Did Danny ask you about it?"

"I don't think he noticed."

"Ah bless this kid, he's so aloof!" Maryann chuckled. "Come on in, let's have some coffee while you wait," she said wrapping an arm around his back to guide him along. "What are you boys doing tonight?"

"Pam insists we all have dinner together."

"Ah, well!" Maryann sniggered. "You don't want to refuse her, she keeps score with the other aunts and uncles."

"I know."

"So how's work?" she asked him as they made their way to the entrance.

"Oh, hey there Eric!" Jerry, Maryann's husband and Daniel's step father was a prematurely bald, green-eyed man with a friendly smile who had a fondness for checkered shirts.

"Jerry, good to see you."

"Nice love bite!"

"Jerry!" Maryann warned him.

"What?" Jerry laughed.

"All I can say is: I wish," Eric grinned back at him.

"Oh, don't make it worse!" Maryann slapped his arm but she laughed too. "Jer, why don't we all sit down for coffee, get Brian to watch the bell for you."

They moved into a family-only room in the back. Maryann started working on the coffee while Jerry and Eric caught up. When Daniel reappeared again, all showered and ready to go, he gave Eric his gift, a ridiculously colorful Hawaiian shirt, a cap, and a new pair of shades. The three of them made him wear the shirt to go to Pam and Amelia's family dinner, and Eric indulged them – no one was happier than Daniel who couldn't stop laughing for about five minutes.

Pam and Amelia were also very amused. But Pam wasn't happy at all when Danny gave her a shirt too, while Amelia was rather fond of hers.

They were having a great time after dinner, just hanging out in the living room while Amelia picked a kid-friendly movie for them to watch when Eric's phone buzzed in his pocket ominously. He picked it up suspiciously, checking for the caller ID. They'd left him blissfully in peace all day, now he was curious as to what warranted a 9:30 pm call.

"Excuse me, I have to take this…" Eric told his company before stepping outside on the terrace, by the mini greenhouse. "Bobby?"

"_We have bad news Eric."_ Bobby said by way of hello.

"What happened?"

"_They released Felton Norris just a half hour ago."_

"Are you sure?"

"_Yeah. They paid his fine and the gas station store owner dropped the aggression charges so they had nothing to keep him there for."_

"Fuck…" Eric muttered as he started to pace. "Is Molly on him?"

"_Yes, she's back in Hotshot right now."_

"Fine. Well we knew he wasn't going to be kept there long. But now we know he had nothing to do with the breaking and entering so he might not be a big problem."

"_Until Cataliades gets through a judge you mean. And that's happening soon. Once Jason Stackhouse is out, the cops will be coming for the Norrises."_

"I know…" Eric sighed. "Sadly we have to wait for his move if that's case."

"_Are you going to tell the boss?"_

"I have to."

"_Want me to do it? It's still your night off."_

"No, I think Niall would like to hear it in person, not over the phone."

"_You're probably right. His age and all. Well, good luck with that…"_

"Thanks…" Eric scoffed. "I'll talk to you in the morning.

"_Got it."_

"What is it Eric?" Pam asked with wide eyes when he returned to the living room. She had been watching him and she'd seen him become tense and start pacing. "Felton Norris has been released."

"Well bollocks."


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: One theory came up I should probably shoot down before it makes more victims! Guys, Daniel _is Eric's son_ - no mysteries there, I promise. He's Eric's kid. I know I like my twists and turns but that is one I did not think about. Thank you for the follows and favorites and reviews. **

* * *

**31.**

September 13, 2013

People had started to talk and stare by Friday. Sookie ignored them as much as she could. But when customers started all lining up for _her_ cash register, leaving the other cashiers confused, she knew things were only going to get worse. Mrs. Mason, an old lady who had been friends with her grandmother all her life, bought a carton of milk and some jelly beans just so she could stand in line and tell Sookie she'd always known Adele Stackhouse'd had some dark secret she never told anyone about.

"There's nothing dark about it, Everlee. People don't just tell you stuff because they're bad, but because it's just none of your fucking business!" Sookie snapped with disgust.

Several of the patrons in line gasped and she could hear Tara groaning behind her. Everlee Mason scrunched her nose at her, before she shoved it in the air, trying to stare her down which was kind of difficult given she was a very short old lady.

"You never learned how not to be rude!" she shook her head reproachfully.

"And you never learned how not to stick your nose where it doesn't belong!" Sookie practically banged her cash register drawer. "Here's your change. Thank you for shopping at _Grab It Kwiwk_!" she finished with a smile.

Everlee Mason huffed, stuck her nose even higher in the air and shuffled away with her milk and her jelly beans while Sookie stared a hole in her back.

"Sookie…" Jimmy the manager appeared suddenly with Maudette Pickens next to him. "I think you need a little break, let Maudette take over…" and then he gestured to one of the packing boys frantically. "And try to get some of those people to move into other lines, this is getting ridiculous!" he hissed and the boy went scampering away to do as he was told.

Sookie huffed and slipped off her stool, making a grab for her tray.

"No, it's OK… leave it there… Maudette can keep it for now. Come on…." Jimmy urged her on.

Sookie followed him reluctantly, aware of the several sighs of disappointment coming from her line up. She threw a glance over her shoulder at Tara, who looked back at her with concern.

Jimmy led her into the little room behind the customer server counter, where Jane Bodehouse was keeping watch for him. She gaped at her as Sookie walked by but made no comment.

"Please Sookie, close the door and sit down," Jimmy said as he took his sit behind the table.

It was a very small room, that offered very little privacy as it was a simple wooden partition. If Jade Bodehouse wanted to eavesdrop on them, all she had to do was lean slightly towards the wooden panel, and knowing her, Sookie guessed that's exactly what she was doing right now. Sookie closed the door and slumped into the little chair across the manager's desk.

"Sookie I've been doing all I can to contain this situation for the past three days. But you can't go around insulting customers!" Jimmy started patiently.

"Well she insulted me first!" Sookie said, not caring that it was the weakest argument she could come up with – one that would never fly with any managers, least of all Jimmy Wilks.

Jimmy wiped his forehead, which seemed to be sweating profusely, and he looked a little flushed as he put his hands together in a tent before he started talking again.

"I understand this is an unusual situation – but perhaps we could have planned something ahead of time, if you'd informed us…"

"Informed you?" Sookie interrupted him. "I don't have to inform you about my private life!"

"Naturally sometimes we must make exceptions…"

"Well why?"

Jimmy laughed nervously and wiped his forehead again. "Look, why do you even want to work at a supermarket? You're filthy rich! You can walk out of here today and never work again and you'll be fine, you won't have to put up with any of this!" Jimmy cleared his throat "And neither will I…" he added in a mutter as he pulled at his tight collar.

Sookie gaped at him incredulously. "Are you firing me?"

"No!" Jimmy put his hands up immediately. "No, Sookie, I am not. This is just a really uncomfortable situation for us all…" he paused and he seemed to be trying to relax. "I've spoken to the owners and… we've decided perhaps it's best if you go home earlier today… perhaps over the weekend people will care a bit less. What do you say?"

Sookie sighed, touching the tip of her tongue to her front teeth, trying to keep herself from making it all worse. "Well… Happy Friday the 13th for me I guess!" she smiled with mock sweetness.

* * *

Twenty minutes later Sookie was walking down the street at a leisure pace, staring into nothing with her lips pulled into a seemingly permanent scowl. Hands deep in her trouser pockets, her purse hanging to the side.

Maybe she should have just quit. Maybe it was time to pick up a different job somewhere else. One where she wouldn't be confronted by _people_ all the time. Maybe a job at a morgue or something. At least dead people didn't gossip.

She had been going over a list of imaginary jobs that would be decidedly better than her current one, when she noticed Chow driving slowly next to her, his window sliding down slowly.

"What?" she practically snapped at him, without looking over to the side.

"Nothing… just wondering where you're going… three hours before the end of the shift…" Chow started casually. "Are you okay?"

"I've been sent home for pulling some old lady's pigtails."

"Oh… well Sookie that's not nice!" Chow joked.

"I'm not even kidding!" she scoffed. "OK, yes I am about the pigtails, but I mouthed off to some gossipy old lady and Jimmy told me to go home and let the novelty of _me_ wear off."

"I see…" Chow said softly. "Get in Sookie, I'll drive you home."

"I'm fine just walking." She preferred walking, she needed to release all that tension somehow. The only reason she didn't break into a jog was her heavy ass purse would get in the way.

"Need I remind you Felton Norris is out of jail?" Chow said tentatively.

"Need I remind you I don't give a fuck?" she rolled her eyes impatiently. "He's not interested in me anymore. He's got short attention span!"

"Until your brother is freed."

"I'll worry then…." She shrugged. "Are you gonna keep driving next to me the whole damn time?"

"It's my job, Sook, I'm sorry."

She stopped walking and Chow stopped the car. She sighed, turned around and leaned back against the hood of the car facing the sidewalk, looking down at her shoes. Chow killed the engine and a moment later he opened the door and got off the car, walking around to come and lean next to her, mimicking her by putting his hands in his pockets.

"I know it's been a tough week. Damn this is why I'll never live in a small town!" he snorted. Sookie glared at him and he cleared his throat. "Sorry…"

"No, I'm sorry…" Sookie sighed, leaning slightly to bump Chow's arm with her own. "I'm just frustrated is all. I turned my apartment upside down looking for those damned letters I never heard about. Then I turned Jason's house upside down and _nothing_…" She had gone to Jason's house the day before after failing to find anything in her apartment on Wednesday. "And I can't get into the farmhouse attic… well even if I can it will only be worth it if the Clearwaters haven't set fire to everything."

"We just need a little bit of patience. Mack Rattray will be in jail for a while unless someone pays his fine and if someone does we'll know and we'll keep an eye on him. And we have our eyes on the farmhouse too."

"And on Felton Norris…" Sookie snorted crossing her arms under her chest. "And on Crystal…" she looked at him curiously. "She's OK, right?"

"Yeah, she's fine."

"OK…" Sookie sighed.

"Hey, at least, tomorrow you're going to Shreveport for a bit, you won't have to put up with your townsfolk."

"Yeah… I guess."

"So… ready for that ride now?"

"Fine…" Sookie pushed away from the hood of the car. "You just want me to make your life easier…" she added as she started walking around the front of the car.

* * *

An hour later Sookie was in her kitchenette sipping tea from a cup while she surfed on the internet a bit. She started looking up job ads in her area – unsurprised to find nothing even remotely appealing. The sun had yet to set on the horizon when three raps at her door distracted her from her fantasy of job hunting in Shreveport. She looked up and put her cup down before she walked over to her door and leaned in to look into the peephole. She swung the door open to see Eric standing there, in his suit, holding a large shopping bag. She hadn't seen him or talked to him since Monday morning when they talked to Sam.

" …" she greeted him smoothly with a risen eyebrow.

"Hello, Sookie…" he smiled down at her. "I hear you gave Chow a bit of a hard time today."

Sookie shrugged. "He's exaggerating. I thought you'd been promoted to better things…" she stepped back and turned around, leaving him to get in and close the door himself. She walked back to her waiting tea and sat on her stool again.

"I had other things to do…" Eric said vaguely. "We're looking for the man who wrote those letters." He followed her coming to stop across the counter from her. "Chow told me you didn't find anything."

Sookie sighed, shaking her head as she put the lid of her laptop down. "No, nothing."

Eric nodded. "We might still find them at the Clearwaters…"

"Maybe…" Sookie shrugged, watching as Eric deposited the large shopping bag on the counter between them. "What's that?"

"Pam sent it. It's for tomorrow as I understand. There's a note inside."

Sookie peered into the bag suspiciously and flinched at having her fears confirmed. Clothes and shoes. On the one hand, she knew it was because she didn't have anything suitable for their family gatherings and she appreciated it. On the other hand she felt insulted that she needed to dress up for them. She would obviously be returning dress and shoes after she was done with them.

"Would you like something to drink?" she offered standing up. "I have tea - hot or cold?"

"Cold," Eric said.

Sookie nodded and headed for her fridge. "So what else other than looking for Stan Davis have you been doing?" she opened the fridge and leaned into it to find her tea.

"Working with some connections to find out who this Marshal person is and where is this Murry individual who put him in touch with Rattray," Eric said, sounding closer behind her than she'd expected.

"Ah…" she picked up a can and whirled around with a happy-hostess smile. "Here it… is…" she trailed off having come to find Eric standing right in front of her, so close she had to crane her neck. "I hope you like… lemon…" she had to step forward so she could nudge the refrigerator door closed behind her, which meant their bodies were touching and she had to crane her neck even further.

Her eyes fluttered dizzily down to his mouth as she breathed him in, completely taken aback by his proximity. She noticed a fading bruise on his lip and reached up to touch it.

"What happened here?" she frowned.

"Left hook to the jaw…" Eric said snatching her hand away and putting it down next to her, his fingers caressing hers a little.

"Does it hurt?" she asked curiously.

"Not anymore."

And with that, his hand was in her hair and he was tipping her head back and they were kissing.

Sookie slipped her arms around his shoulders, one hand venturing in his short hair, the other was still holding the iced tea can. She pushed herself up on her toes to bring herself closer to him as she kissed him back, a bit tentative, afraid to hurt his bruised lip. Eric however held nothing back, parting her mouth and greedily sucking and licking her plump bottom lip before sweeping his tongue inside her mouth.

The iced tea can dropped to the floor, and Sookie hopped up into his arms easily, clamping her thighs around his hips, her fingers going further into his hair, her fingernails scraping his scalp as Eric wrapped his arms around her waist to sustain her weight.

Sookie clung to him tightly, not because she was afraid he'd drop her, but because it felt really good. Because, if she had to admit to herself, she had been a little afraid his absence was intended to reinforce old boundaries. She didn't want him to stop touching her, nothing ever felt as right as Eric touching her.

His mouth was always so firm, his kisses were always the right amount of wet, and his tongue seemed to always brush just the right spots to bring her to the edge. So she kissed him back passionately, tugging his hair in her excitement, until she had to pull away for air. And she bent her head down to admire him and she cupped his face - his eyes still closed as he nuzzled her.

After another silent moment in which he just held her, Sookie pushed against his shoulders so he would help her down. Eric watched her as put her back on her feet, his dark blue eyes, darker than ever. She grasped his hand and led him to the couch. She turned around when they stood in front of it and she gently pushed him until he fell back on the couch. She grinned at the half-surprised, half-aroused look on his face as she climbed onto his lap, straddling him.

Her fingers went back into his now hopelessly mussed hair and she was kissing him again, greedily. She was perhaps too enthusiastic and she pulled back with a gasp and an apology on her lips when she felt him flinch. Eric ran his tongue over the dark fading bruise on his lip.

"You said it didn't hurt…" she frowned.

"Well, you're aggressive…" he teased her while his hands brushed up and down her hips.

Sookie pouted and leaned forward to lay a soft, apologetic kiss to his lip. Eric's tongue darted out to tease her and then he trapped her top lip between his teeth, sucking lightly, to which she responded with happy sigh before she kissed him in earnest again, adding a little grinding to her hip, which dragged a groan from him.

* * *

Eric dropped his head back against the couch and his eyes fluttered and he sighed, gripping her hips tighter as she continued rocking on top of him teasingly, gazing down at him with half-hooded eyes - her hands bracing against the couch on both sides of his head.

"I don't know what to do with you…" he confessed with a sigh.

"I don't mind giving you directions…" she arched her eyebrows at him teasingly.

Eric smirked. "That's not what I meant…" And to prove he knew just what to do when it came to _that,_ he reached for the hem of her top and whipped it over her head, tossing it to the side.

Sookie giggled and put her hands back next to his head, leaning down to kiss the cleft on his chin, her tongue darting out for a taste. His hands brushed up the exposed skin of her sides, past her ribs – and as Sookie sat back to watch him, his eyes dropped to her breasts, properly encased in white cotton and lace.

"I like this…" he said while running a finger along the lace on the edge of one of her cups, causing the skin there to break into gooseflesh. "It's pretty."

"You can have it if you want…" she teased him.

Eric smiled lazily up at her. "It wouldn't look as good on me…" his finger continued following the line of her bra.

Sookie cocked her head to the side with a goofy grin. "I don't know… I think you could look good in anything."

His hand moved to the clasp on her back and she leaned forward to help him reach it. He unhooked it easily and she sat back, moving her arms to help as he peeled the material away from her and tossed it behind the couch.

All playfulness had disappeared from his face as he reached up to cup both breasts in his hands. He watched as she sighed and trembled and then dropped her head back to enjoy the way he teased her flesh - his thumbs brushed over her pebbled nipples. He watched the arch of her slender neck and he brushed one hand up across her collarbone so he could wrap it around her throat, his thumb caressing her with gentle pressure.

"Sookie, look at me." He said huskily.

She dropped her head down, her eyes lost in a haze of lust, her hair fell in wild rivulets, framing her pretty face.

"What?" she asked him, enthralled by the intensity in his eyes.

"You're a very, very pretty girl…" he told her, his thumb still stroking her long, slender neck. He smiled when she flushed, her eyes dropping from his uncomfortably, as she licked her lips. He reached up to tug at her bottom lip, making her eyes snap back to his curiously. "And I want you very very bad…"

She flushed differently now – a wanton smile spread across that pretty plump little mouth of hers and she leaned forward, touching her nose to his, nuzzling softly, her eyes on his mouth now. "Good… I want you very very bad too…" she bit her lip and smiled even more at the way he panted beneath her, his eyes on her mouth. Her tongue darted out to taste his lips teasingly. "And I expect you to put in some extra effort for the three days you left me high and dry."

His eyes lifted back to hers challengingly, and she only smirked back at him, her blue eyes dancing – she bit her lip again, a little nervously, a little curiously as she waited to see what he would say. Eric narrowed his eyes at her, a slow smile on his lips. His answer was to fist her hair in his hand and pull her into hungry, desperate kiss that would leave them both gasping for air.


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: Thank you for your continuous awesomeness and support. **

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**32.**

September 13, 2013

Sookie could feel herself being watched before she felt herself being touched. The brush of his fingers across her collarbone was nearly ticklish, but she shivered anyway, feeling her skin prickling deliciously – it seemed to be her body's go-to response when it came to him.

She opened her eyes to find him half-lying on his side, his head propped by his left hand while he touched her with his right hand. His eyes watched as his fingers caressed her skin deliberately – he circled her round breasts, avoiding her pert nipples just to make her squirm with anticipation.

"You're a tease…" she told him sleepily as she watched him, her heart beating faster when his eyes found hers.

He smiled that slow sensuous smile of his. "Had a good nap?"

"Yes, I needed it. Thank you very much…" she sighed and stretched lazily and grinned when his eyes flickered slightly at the sight. "You've been awake?" she rolled on her side to face him properly, sneaking one arm under her pillow.

"I may have blacked out a little…" he grinned, still looking down at her since he was propped up on his elbow. He resumed his slow torture - ghosting his fingers down her side, stopping at her round hip, spreading his fingers to give her healthy behind a good squeeze. "So how did you end up here?" he asked unexpectedly.

"Here?" she looked up at him curiously.

"In this house? Well… part of a house. How did you lose the farmhouse?"

"Ah…" Sookie sighed, and then she moved to prop her head on her hand so they were more or less eye to eye. Her eyes rolled up as she recalled the events in her life. "Let's see well… my father died, so the main bread-winner was gone. Then my mother was sick, and all the money went to her cancer treatment, all of Gran's savings – mom had to stop working, Jason and I were still in school..."

She sighed and her eyes dropped to conceal her sudden melancholy. "Then mom died anyway… and then the economy went to shit and Gran lost the house." She shrugged. "We moved in with Aunt Linda and my cousin Hadley for a while. Then Gran died. Then Aunt Linda's husband suggested they move to his hometown. We had to split and find our own places…" she trailed off, remembering the really hard goodbyes. She missed them a lot. "Holly practically lets me live here for free. What I pay for rent is ridiculous…" she made a face. "I feel kind of bad about it, but also really grateful." She looked up at him tentatively, his eyes were on her, but she couldn't read them. "Why d'you ask?"

"I'm just curious about you," he said honestly, resuming the work of his hand, moving it back up her side, until he cupped her face and brushed her lip with his thumb. "What about all your boyfriends?" he asked with a cheeky smile, moving his arm to lie his head on the pillow, so he was staring up at her now. "Tell me all about them."

Sookie narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Why do I get your feeling you're trying to trick me with some detective bullshit?"

"I don't see detectives sleeping with their subjects for information…"

"You have obviously never watched James Bond movies…" she snorted.

"James Bond is a spy, not a detective. And it's cute you think they're real…" he poked her nose teasingly.

Sookie grinned. "Fine, well… there were only two… officially." She rolled her eyes up in consideration and then she made a face, shaking her head dubiously. "OK maybe one and a half. I don't think High School boyfriends count."

"Some people marry their High School sweethearts," Eric countered.

"Yeah, my parents did…" she smiled. "But there's no way I would have ever married JB DuRone!" she snorted. "I mean, cute, but not the brightest guy."

"Oh so you went for the High School jock?" Eric grinned.

"I think the nerds were afraid of me… OK, they were afraid of my brother…" she conceded.

Eric laughed. "I bet they were."

"It was your typical first boyfriend thing – he let me wear his school jacket, he took me to the movies, he took me to the prom… you know all the important milestones."

"What about boyfriend number two?"

"Sam?" Sookie sighed. "I don't know… I'm thinking I'll have to change my count to half a boyfriend…" she dropped her eyes again and started toying with a loose thread line on the sheet.

"What do you mean?" Eric asked curiously.

"Well… with Sam… I mean you obviously noticed he's a lot older than me…"

Eric nodded. "Twenty-six years older than you."

Sookie eyed him curiously, he _had_ done the math. "Yeah well… does being nineteen and stupid excuse me any?"

Eric smiled. "I'm not judging _you_."

"But you're judging _him_?"

"Little bit."

"_You_'re older than me…" she pointed out.

"Ten years, not twenty-six. The age difference wouldn't be a big deal if not for the fact you were only nineteen, barely legal as it is."

"Well…" Sookie sighed. "Regardless… I was just being deliberately stupid I guess. Gran'd just died and Aunt Linda was making plans to leave town, I'd started working at _Merlotte's_ as a waitress." She paused. "You know what sucks about dating people in small towns?" Eric arched his eyebrows curiously. "If it doesn't work, you'll still see them everywhere, for the rest of your life. I mean, I see JB every time I go out with my friends, because, your friends kind of stay the same too."

"So, Sam wasn't from Bon Temps, he was from some small town in Texas. So obviously he was a hot commodity when he arrived. Now, you're a nineteen year old girl who is about to lose the last adult presence in your family, your brother's a horn dog with barely any time to spare for you. Your cousin who was also your best friend is leaving too – some mysterious guy from out of town shows up and starts ogling you like you're naked already? You fall for it like a fool, you know?"

"Can't say I've ever been a nineteen year old girl…" Eric muttered, watching her curiously, but also, a bit sadly.

Sookie chuckled at him and dropped her eyes again. "For a while it was great. I mean, I got to see him every day – we got to sneak around on people and I'll admit I liked that, I liked that it felt a little wrong," she shrugged. "Eventually people found out about it, and at first they were full of shock and _what would your Gran say_?" she rolled her eyes. "That just made me cling to him harder than before… it's stupid I know that. But living in this town, you just can't help but just want to prove everybody wrong for being such meddling jackasses!" she shifted to lie on her back again, it was easier to do this part while staring at the ceiling. "Months passed and the townsfolk just learned to accept us I guess. No one eyed us wrong anymore. We worked together every day, we were seen about town together on the weekends. This went for a whole year…" she sighed, keeping her eyes on the ceiling, aware of Eric watching her still. "Then one day, this bright red car pulled up in the parking lot. This tall, dark-haired, beautiful Hispanic woman waltzed in looking for Sam Merlotte…" she snorted. "Can you guess who she was?"

Eric hesitated. "His… wife?"

"Close… his girlfriend…" she rolled her head towards him. "His long-time girlfriend. The girlfriend who hung back in Texas, waiting for him to get settled before she moved in with him. The girlfriend he would still see every time he went out of town _on business_." She shook her head to herself and turned her eyes back to the ceiling. "So I fell for the oldest trick in the world. And then everyone started talking about us again. And, of course, I was the slut, and the whore and all those nice things people say about women but never, ever about men because, hey, men cheat, what did you expect? _You_ should have known better!"

"That's bullshit…" Eric muttered.

"Well yes, of course it is… it doesn't stop people though, does it?" she looked at him with a self-deprecating smile. "I mean, at first Luna… that's the girlfriend, she treated me like shit too – she called me a bunch of names in the middle of the bar… But after a couple of weeks of her being around, she came to see me. I was living here by then already, and she apologized. She told me Sam told her everything, about how he never told me he had a girlfriend and well… she was real nice actually." She shrugged. "So she was the only one entitled to being unreasonable and thinking and saying all kinds of shit about me, but she retracted, she apologized, she asked _me_ if I needed anything – she was kind… and people whom I had known my whole life just assumed the worst of me. She is a good person."

"What happened to her?" Eric asked curiously.

"Well she dumped his ass…" Sookie grinned. "She drove back to Texas three weeks later."

"Did Merlotte go after her?"

Sookie frowned, thinking. "I don't know to be honest… I… removed myself from his vicinity completely once it all happened. I quit and I didn't go anywhere he could be for the longest time. When people talked about him around me I tuned out or left the room… so I don't know… if he did… it didn't do him any good as far as I know, unless they're still stewing each other from a distance…" she snorted. "I can't really vouch for anyone, so I wouldn't know." She rolled onto her side to face him again. "So there you go, my entire romantic history."

"What about Hoyt Fortenberry?"

Sookie stared at him. "He wasn't my boyfriend."

"What was he?"

"Another mistake. It's another problem that comes with small towns and dating. Not a lot of options… I thought he was okay with what I wanted. He wasn't."

"What did you want?" Eric asked curiously, his eyes roaming around her face.

Sookie sighed, chewing on her bottom lip for a bit as she stared into his neck. "I think I just wanted to feel good again…"

They fell silent for a bit and Sookie frowned, fearing the air had gotten too heavy, she looked up to find him still staring at her with indecipherable eyes.

"Is that so wrong?" she questioned.

Eric blinked at her and shook his head. "No, it isn't wrong at all…"

"So you don't think I'm a slut?"

"If I did, you'd have permission to punch me in the dick."

Sookie giggled. "I just thought… with you asking me these questions…"

Eric put a finger to her lip and she arched her eyebrows at him. "If you thought I was testing you, why would you answer my questions?"

She shrugged. "To give you the out that you wanted?"

"I just want to get to know you…" he caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. "For what is worth… people in big cities aren't any different, they just don't know everybody so they can't judge them."

"Sounds great, when can I move into one?" she deadpanned.

Eric chuckled and leaned closer to kiss the tip of her nose and then her mouth.

"I think you'll soon find out you can do whatever you want."

Sookie made a face. "I don't want to think about that right now."

"That's OK."

She eyed him curiously. "Do I get to… to know you too or is that going beyond your boundaries?"

Eric smiled. "I think we can talk about boundaries when we're not like this together."

"Because of Niall?"

"And because I have certain obligations I can't let go of. For my sanity."

Sookie frowned. "Ok, let's start with what do you mean by that?"

"The reason I lost control and shot someone I shouldn't is I get too involved. When I investigated that case, it was like I had become each of those girls' Dad… I wanted to break the guy for what he did."

"But you're not supposed to do that…"

"No."

"You're afraid you'll get too close to me and Niall?"

Eric sighed deeply, dropping his eyes to her mouth. "I think I'm already too close as it is…" he smiled.

Sookie frowned curiously. "Then why are you here…? You did well keeping the distance before…"

"I think I just wanted to feel good too," he confessed.

Sookie smiled understandingly. She scooted closer, touching his face and kissing his mouth softly. "Thank you."

"What for?"

"For saying I make you feel good…" she smiled. "And you can always tell people I seduced you."

Eric shook his head. "Now you're sounding like your accusers."

"They rub off on you…" she deadpanned.

"Don't…" Eric brushed her lip with his thumb again. "You're smarter than that."

"You really think so?" she grinned.

"I think you do quite well for a lone 23-year-old who's been dealt quite the hand."

Sookie smiled. "Thank you…"

"It's past nine, why don't you let me feed you and then you can ask me your questions?" Eric suggested.

"You like feeding me."

"It comes with fatherhood. Whenever I panicked the first times I was left with him alone, Maryann imparted me these words of wisdom: _when he's crying and you don't know what else to do, feed him_."

Sookie giggled. "Did it work?"

"Nine out of ten times."

"Solid advice then…" Sookie chuckled before rolling into a sitting position. "However, I'll be doing the feeding this time. I hope you don't object to grilled cheese!" she said as she shrugged her robe around her, smirking at the way he was staring at her naked body just before she hid it from him. "How does it sound?"

"It sounds delicious…" Eric smiled up into her eyes before shrugging the sheet off of his legs, and then it was her turn to stare.

* * *

Eric watched from his stool as Sookie moved around the kitchenette, putting stuff together for their modest dinner. He couldn't stop cataloguing all the little ways in which she looked irresistibly beautiful.

The way her hair was piled up on top of her head in a lovely mess left her slender neck exposed. The way her thin cotton robe hugged her generous curves. The way the silly robe was almost see-through in this light, or perhaps it looked that way because it was so worn. The way she frowned while she worked with the frying pan or the way she bit her pink little tongue while trying align the cheese slices perfectly. She was a maddening mixture of sweet and sexy.

He thought a bit more about her question earlier, and though his answer had been honest, he had to admit it was about more than just feeling good. He could feel good that way with other women who weren't technically out of bounds. But he went to her instead. He thought about how she admitted the fact it felt wrong to date Sam Merlotte was part of the charm for her and he had to question himself. Was it because it was wrong for him to sleep with her that he did it? Was it the reason _she_ did it?

Had he ultimately turned into a rebel? Did he enjoy bending the rules? They were all valid questions, brought about by a very simple one – and he would have to think about them. He would also have to convince himself he could stay focused on his job no matter what he was doing with Sookie between four walls. If he didn't believe that himself, he'd have to stop – and he didn't want to.

"OK, here you go…" Sookie placed a plate with two perfectly delicious-looking grilled cheese sandwiches. "Eat up! I'll grab you that iced tea now…" she moved back to the fridge. "So…" she started casually when she returned. "Can I ask you stuff now?"

"Be my guest…" he eyed her curiously.

"Did you see Daniel this week?"

"Yes, on Tuesday. We had dinner with Pam and Amelia."

Sookie smiled. "Do you miss him a lot? Does he spend most of the time with his mom?"

"Most of the time, yes. Given what I do, I sometimes don't have a very permanent perch. But I see him a lot more than I used to."

"How come?" Sookie asked as she broke a piece of her sandwich.

"Well, I still lived in New York when he was a baby. Maryann decided to move back to Shreveport almost immediately after she found out she was pregnant."

"Why?" Sookie frowned curiously.

"She wanted to be close to her mother. She was terrified, she was younger than you are now. We weren't going to get married, so she decided it was the best she could do. I would travel back and forth, and sometimes I'd pick him up and take him to spend some time in New York with me, but I definitely see him more now."

Sookie narrowed her eyes, chewing before she spoke again. "So why didn't you two get married anyway? I mean, you say you're great friends, you obviously liked each other enough to sleep together, so…?" she shrugged.

"We didn't have much in common," Eric said honestly. "We were attracted to each other. I think for me it was her accent, it was that she was from here…" he smiled. "My mother was from Louisiana and I spent a reasonable amount of my childhood time here in the past." He took a sip from his glass. "But then, it turned out we were better off as friends. But Danny happened, and he became the only thing we have in common, but it works. We care about each other a lot and that's good, for Danny if no one else."

Sookie nodded curiously. "And she's married now."

"Yes."

"Didn't you feel not even a little bit threatened when the husband came along? Weren't you afraid he'd take your place as the boy's Dad?"

Eric cocked his head curiously, it wasn't a question a lot of people had asked him, even if they were curious about it. "Well, yes, actually. I was afraid of that. Initially."

"How did you get over it?"

"I made sure Danny wouldn't need another father," Eric said simply. "It was up to me to be around and to be the one he'd want to turn to. And after I met Jerry I found out he was actually a great guy who was wonderful to Maryann and he was great with Danny. And if you're not living with your child's mother, you'll want the guy who's there instead to love the crap out of your kid because the alternative to that is unthinkable, isn't it? You wouldn't want your kid under the same roof as one who doesn't care at all about them."

"No," Sookie agreed. "That's true. But how could you do all that if you were living so far away?"

"Oh, Jerry is recent, he came after my misconduct problem. I was living in Morrice for my correctional therapy and training when they decided to tie the knot. After I got out, Pam offered me this job and… well… here I am."

Sookie smiled. "It all worked out."

"Yes."

"Did you choose Morrice because it was closer to him?"

"Yes."

"You sound like a good Dad then."

"Was this a test?" Eric teased her.

Sookie laughed and shook her head. "No. Just my meddling curiosity… shit now I _do_ sound like my townsfolk…"

Eric laughed. "I think your approach is more polite."

"Thanks…"

They finished eating and they cleaned things up. Eric knew he should talk to her about what he'd spent the last two days doing, but once they were done in the kitchen, she was pulling him back into the bedroom by his belt loops, and once she dropped her robe again, touching her was all he could think about.

There would be time tomorrow – for now he pretended he wasn't turning into a rebel.


	33. Chapter 33

From: Guest

:I hate the fact that you made Eric have a child.

A/R:Hey I can sympathize because _usually_ I prefer reading stories where it doesn't all culminate in babies and children myself. But for this particular story and this particular incarnation of him, I felt like he should have a child - simple as that. And if it bothers you to the point where you "_hate_" it and your hate is the _only_ _thing worth mentioning_ in your comments, may I suggest you just stop reading? Coz I can't fix that for you, and you shouldn't read something you don't like. There are other fish in the sea is what I'm trying to say - some of them will be childless! Happy reading wherever the sea takes you!

**A/N: Thank you for the continuous support here and on my blog. The muse appreciates it. **

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**33.**

September 14, 2013

Sitting across from Claudia Crane out on the patio, Sookie struggled to make herself more comfortable. Her _brand new_ cousin was cute, and very lively, and she had indeed been very excited to meet her, and she felt as though she was being rude to her by not being able to demonstrate the same enthusiasm. She tried smiling and nodding as the girl spoke, taking a sip from her drink every once in a while, just to have something to do with herself.

She could tell the girl had been very bored around here. She told her she lived somewhere else with her parents, in some fancy gated community, but she had been dragged to her grandfather's house by her mother, and they'd been staying there for little more than a month now.

She was aware of Claudine and Niall in her peripheral, carrying a separate, more hushed conversation. But she could swear Claudine was staring straight at her sometimes, and when she looked, she usually turned out to be right.

She couldn't quite yet decide what to make of her. She didn't know if she was a friend or an enemy. She hadn't been the one to hire people to come talk to her, it'd been her husband, or at least, that's what Niall desperately wanted to believe. She was polite to her, and she'd introduced her to her daughter. At the auction she had been a bit haughty around her, but today she was visibly polite and quiet.

Claude Crane wasn't even around – and Sookie couldn't be happier about it. She was certain he wasn't her friend, or even indifferent to her, indifference would have been good. No, he was definitely hostile.

Niall always seemed overjoyed to see her. He'd welcomed her when she arrived and he looked like he could start dancing any minute, and then he led her to the patio where Claudine and Claudia were waiting. Lunch went surprisingly well – with Claudia and Niall picking up most of the conversation whenever Sookie fell in uncomfortable silence.

Later, Claudine whisked Claudia away so Niall could talk to Sookie in his study. He sat her inside and for the first time since she arrived they were alone.

"I'm sorry if Claudia was a bit too much…" Niall chuckled as he took his seat. "I think she likes the idea of you."

Sookie arched an eyebrow. "I'm her own personal Anne Hathaway?"

Niall blinked at her, clearly clueless. "Anne Hathaway?"

"Yeah, you know… from the Princess Diaries?" Sookie chuckled and shook her head. "Never mind… it was a children's movie about a poor, stereotypically ungraceful girl who discovers she's actually a Princess and then she has all of these… stereotypical adventures trying to fit in with her rich… grandmother…" Sookie shrugged, dropping her eyes. Then she started chuckling, her shoulders shaking, and she covered her mouth as she snorted. "I guess this makes you Julie Andrews…" she trailed off while her shoulders continuing to shake. "I'm sorry…" she cleared her throat. "Anyway… what did you want to talk about?"

"Right uhm…" Niall cleared his throat, looking still a bit confused before he carried on. "Well… Pamela has let me know it seems like you're having a bit of a hard time in Bon Temps."

"Ah…" Sookie sagged against her seat. "It's fine… nothing that won't go away in time."

"I'm really sorry, Sookie. I should have thought twice before bringing you to that event."

"No, it's okay…" Sookie shook her head. "Eventually it would have come out… and it was best it came out on our terms."

Niall arched his eyebrows curiously. "You have been talking to Pamela."

"We had a nice chat when I arrived…" Sookie smiled.

"There's something of a related issue I wanted to discuss with you…" Niall began tentatively.

"What's that?"

"Would you consider… moving to Shreveport in the near future?"

Sookie stared back at him speechlessly for a moment. "I uh… have considered moving to many places, Niall, but sadly, I haven't saved enough for that yet."

"Well… in regards to money…"

"Don't go there…" Sookie shook her head.

Niall made a face. "I understand your reluctance, I do. But you haven't listened to me yet."

"I don't have to. You're not dropping money on my lap just to atone for something you didn't do to me!" she finished as gently as she could. She didn't like arguing with him, given his age, but she just couldn't accept that kind of thing from him.

"What if I want to do it not because I want to atone for something, but because I care about you?" Niall countered.

"You don't know me."

"You're family."

"Yeah well… family can leave you too…" Sookie looked away uncomfortably. "Whether it's because they're dropping around you like flies or because… they don't approve of those you love…" she looked back at him in time to see his sad little sigh. "What you're doing for my brother is enough for me, Niall. Don't invest any of your dreams on me… I'm not reliable, no one is." She shrugged. "I'd rather just carve my own way out of that town."

Niall watched her silently for a long moment before he leaned forward to pat her hand with an understanding smile. "I suppose I should be just glad you're not refusing my protection."

Sookie smiled back. "I am appreciative of it… it seems… necessary…" she added uncomfortably.

"Yes…" Niall agreed with equal discomfort. "That it does… doesn't it?"

There were two sharp knocks on the door before it swung opened, with Pam at the handle. She peered inside with a serious expression. Niall and Sookie straightened up, looking over at her curiously.

"What is it, Pamela?" Niall asked knowingly.

"Bobby Burnham is here… there have been news…" Pam's eyes flitted between them. "Eric's bringing him in."

Niall nodded, exchanging a brief, uneasy look with his great-granddaughter before standing. "Very well… send them in…"

Sookie stood up as well while Pam stepped inside and waved to someone outside to come in. The first to enter as a young woman Sookie did not recognize. She was short with short chestnut-brown hair, brown eyes, wearing dress pants and a white shirt, looking very professional – even if she also wore nose and lip piercings. Niall seemed very confused by her presence. The second and third were a man who Sookie had to guess to be Bobby Burnham, and Eric.

Her eyes searched for his immediately, and he met hers briefly, with a small shake of his head. She took a deep breath, suspecting this wasn't going to be good. She turned her eyes back to the others, just as Mr. Burnham was shaking hands with Niall.

"Mr. Brigant…"

"It's good to see you again, Mr. Burnham… and is this… your Molly Ray?" he turned to the young woman politely, taking her hand.

"Yes, Mr. Brigant. Molly this is Niall Brigant, our boss."

"Nice to meet you."

"And Sookie Stackhouse over there…" Bobby gestured towards Sookie. "How are you doing Miss Stackhouse?"

"Good… hi…" she shook both their hands and watched as they stepped back.

Pam had stayed inside as well, silently closing the door before walking over to stand next to Sookie. Eric stood nearest to the door, leaning onto a filing cabinet, his eyes turned to Bobby and Molly as they communicated silently.

"Well, what is this about then?" Niall asked, leaning against his desk and folding his hands in front of him.

Bobby Burnham exchanged a look with Eric, who nodded him for him to continue. Bobby nodded at Molly Ray who, in her turn took a deep breath and produced a rolled piece of paper from one of her pockets.

"We know who Stan Davis is even though we can't get to him."

"So, who is he?" Niall questioned her.

"He's… the man who shot Corbett Stackhouse eighteen years ago."

"What?" Sookie took a step forward and snatched the piece of paper away from her hand before she offered it to Niall.

The piece of paper seemed to be a photocopy of some news paper clipping, featuring a note about her father's hunting "accident" years ago. It was a brief note, stating he was alive and well and the responsible was someone named Shawn Davidson from Texas. There was only a very grainy picture of the stretch of the woods where the accident happened.

"I don't understand…" Sookie looked up at her before giving Niall the sheet of paper.

"Tell them how you got to your conclusion Molly," Burnham said.

Molly nodded. "We were looking up for all registered Stan Davises by area whose age could match your father's today. There was only one in Texas, which triggered a memory about what I'd read about your father's accident…" Molly told Sookie. "So I went back to look it up and the name Shawn _Davidson_ made me suspicious. I did some cross checking and learned he used this alias before – Mr. Davis is a known police novel author… his pen name is Shawn Davidson."

"So the man who was allegedly corresponding with Corbett Stackhouse is also the man who shot him?" Pam frowned.

"Why did you say this man can't be found?" Niall asked with a frown.

"Because he's dead…" Molly said with a sigh, letting the weight of the news settle, watching everyone's reaction. "And the funny thing? He died in a hunting accident… five weeks ago."

Sookie blinked repeatedly taking a step back, which put her right next to Pam again and she felt it when she rubbed the small of her back soothingly. Niall had made an unhappy sound and Molly stayed quiet.

"What is it Eric?" Niall asked suddenly.

Sookie looked over along with Pam and the others to where Eric stood, rubbing the back of his neck with a frown.

"Five weeks ago should be around the time Mack Rattray broke into Jason's house… looking for these supposed letters."

"What are you trying to say?" Pam gasped. "That these events are related?"

"Well it's one hell of a coincidence, don't you think?" Bobby said with a sigh.

"It's a possibility…" Eric agreed.

"My God in heaven…" Niall dropped himself into the nearest armchair.

Sookie eyed him uncomfortably, part of her wanting to rush over and check that he was okay, while the other part was yanking the first part back by its arm and telling it to chill.

"If these letters exist we need to find them…" Niall said, his eyes seeking her own.

Sookie shrugged. "Unless I _break into_ the farmhouse myself… I can't…"

"I'm thinking we could go this man's hometown and ask a few questions," Molly suggested.

"Eric?" Bobby turned to him.

Eric nodded after a moment. "Yeah, do it."

"I uh…" Sookie checked her watch. "It's getting late, I think it's time for me to start heading home."

Niall reached up for her arm as she walked close to him and he looked very contrite. "Think about my request some more… think about what is happening… I don't want anything to happen to you, Sookie…"

Sookie felt put on the spot with everybody watching, and she tried not to squirm as she slowly nodded. "I'll think about it… but I think you need your rest."

"I agree…" Pam said behind her.

"Ah…" Niall waved them away. "I'm fine…"

* * *

Sookie looked up from the settee outside Niall's room as Pam walked out and closed the door quietly behind her, offering her a reassuring smile.

"How is he?" Sookie asked anyway.

"He's better. Claudia and Claudine are distracting him…" Pam moved to sit next to her, turning towards her and propping an arm over the back of the couch. "This isn't uncommon… blood pressure and those pesky things, you know?"

Sookie nodded, dropping her eyes to the rug in front of them. "Yeah…"

"Can I ask you what Niall was referring to when he asked you to reconsider his request?" Pam asked tilting her head to the side.

Sookie looked at her with a no-bullshit face. "You know what that was about. You're his right hand."

"Very well, then tell me why you're saying no."

"Because it's…" Sookie shook her head. "Do I really need to say it?"

"I am asking, am I not?"

"Because I don't need charity – and he's doing this out of guilt."

"And you're saying no out because you're too proud."

"So what?" Sookie shrugged. "Tell me why should I automatically accept anything he throws me because he feels guilty and we're related?"

"Why do you have to automatically refuse him? You're not even mad at him anymore. If you were, you wouldn't be sitting here worried about his health."

Sookie sighed and rolled her eyes. "Do you have a theory?"

"I do…" Pam smiled. "Glad you asked."

"Pam…" Sookie grunted.

"You're refusing it because you work hard for every penny you get, and any money that doesn't come with your hard work carries a stigma you're uncomfortable with. However, whether you like it or not, once Niall dies, you'll be considerably wealthy anyway." Sookie rolled her eyes. "It would be a lot better for you, if you let him take you under his wing while he's alive. You don't have to spend the money, but if it puts you in a better position to do things you actually want to do in life, you'll still be doing things by your own effort. You're also letting yourself be held back because you care too much for what people in that Podunk little town think of you." Sookie frowned at her and Pam raised a finger to silence her. "You know you do, it's why you're so frustrated and got sent home earlier on Friday."

"How do you know about that?"

"Chow."

Sookie huffed. "I was stupid, I'll admit that."

"Because you care what they think."

"I don't!"

"You do. Not caring doesn't look like that, Sookie…"

"Fine… I care…" Sookie sagged on the couch. "Look… I told Niall I would think about it… I will, okay? That's all I can promise right now."

"Okay, I can live with that!" Pam chuckled. "Now could you tell me why you changed your clothes?" Pam eyed Sookie in a thin pale green cotton dress spattered with tiny flowers, and a bow tied under her chest.

"Oh I…" Sookie moved to grab the shopping bag next to her on the couch. "So I could return these… thank you." Inside the bag was the expensive gray chiffon dress and sandals Pam had sent her to attend lunch with Niall.

Pam rolled her eyes, putting the bag behind her. "It was yours to keep."

"I don't want it…" Sookie shrugged.

Pam shrugged right back and eyed her dress again. "This is cute anyway." She tugged at the sleeve, feeling the material. "Although I am glad the little number I sent you covered up that god-awful love bite on your tit," she finished casually.

Sookie jerked with surprise and stared down her cleavage, which was deep and wide enough to show Pam a bit of side-boob and indeed there was a visible red blotch on the inner swell of her left breast where someone had spent a long time on last night. Flushing to the roots of her hair, Sookie hurried to adjust her collar to hide it while Pam snickered happily next to her.

"And I'm glad that with everything that is going on around you, you still find time to get shagged!" Pam patted her back approvingly. "Good job!"

Sookie rolled her eyes. "And with _that_ I take my leave…" she stood up, adjusting her dress self-consciously. She hadn't thought about this when she threw the dress in her bag in the morning.

"I'll walk you out…" Pam chuckled, following her and obviously finding her embarrassment very entertaining.

It was Molly Ray who was waiting outside on the hall by the elevator. She looked up from her phone and smiled politely when they approached.

"Miss Stackhouse… Mr. Northman asked me to drive you home today. Chow is at his usual post and he'll be with you through the night."

"Oh…" Sookie blinked, taken aback. "Ok!" she smiled.

Molly smiled back and then nodded at Pam. "Ms. Ravenscroft."

"See you around, Molly."

Sookie followed Molly into the elevator and watched her curiously. The doors slid closed and that typical uncomfortable silence settled between them on the ride down.

"So you were the one keeping an eye on Felton Norris?" Sookie asked to break the tension.

"Yes!" Molly smiled. "That was me."

Sookie nodded slowly. "So… why are you here now?"

"Well Bobby needed my tech-specialty. But don't worry, we have Crystal Norris covered."

"Oh… good…" Sookie sighed, looking into space pensively. "What is Mr. Northman doing, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Well, now that we know who Stan Davis was, my guess is he's going to try and pressure his police connections to get him your father's file."

"Oh…" Sookie nodded, taking a deep breath as she watched the floors going down.

The ride back to Bon Temps wasn't so bad with her new guard. It turned out Sookie liked Molly a lot, they became friendly pretty quickly. They said goodbye at her door and Sookie made it inside just as a soft drizzle started to pour. She climbed her steps and unlocked her door. She had just dropped her purse on the couch and opened her fridge for some water when someone knocked on her door.

Frowning, Sookie let go of the refrigerator door, which closed slowly as she strode back to the front door and yanked it opened. Holly stood there with a piece of paper and a curious smile.

"Well hello, Sookie! Don't you look nice today?"

"Ah… hi Ms… Holly…" Sookie sagged onto the door. "Thanks… what's up?"

"Well the weirdest thing happened today while you were out…" Holly said lifting the piece of paper she was holding. "The house phone rang, it was for_ you_… I guess everyone in town knows you live with me," she chuckled. "It was Bev Clearwater… she left a number for you to call her back…" she gave her the piece of paper. "Isn't… Bev the one who… bought your old house?" Holly frowned curiously.

Sookie was staring at the piece of paper between her fingers with her heart hammering but she managed an affirmative nod. "Yes…"

"Oh…" Holly sighed, stepping back – clearly curious but trying not to trespass. "Well, I'm going back down… I have a cake in the oven I need to watch over."

"Oh! Okay!" Sookie snapped out of it, smiling at her landlady. "Thank you so much for this, Holly…" she waved the piece of paper in the air.

"It's no problem…" Holly shrugged. "Look, give it… thirty minutes, and come down for some tea and chocolate cake, okay? Cody is out with friends, and I hate eating alone!" she laughed.

"Ah…" Sookie nodded quickly. "Sure… thank you, Holly, I'd love that…"

"Good! I see you soon then!" Holly grinned before turning away to go down the stairs.

Sookie closed her door and stared at the paper, memorizing the number as she marched to her purse, flopped down on the couch and reached for her phone. She quickly dialed the number, not caring it was long distance.

"_Hello?"_ a female voice answered on the third ring.

"Uhm… hello… is this Bev Clearwater?"

"_Yes, this is she. Who is this?"_

"Hi…. Mrs. Clearwater, it's uhm… Sookie Stackhouse. Did you… call me?"

"_Oh! Why yes, dear, I did!"_ the voice turned more relaxed and friendly. _"I'm glad Holly gave you my message! I spoke to Caroline Bellefleur last night. She told me about your request."_

* * *

_**A/N2: murgatoid-98 brought up a little detail I thought would be worth mentioning in case others haven't done the connection - if it puzzles anyone why Niall isn't interested in Linda and Hadley, it's because in this AU, only Corbett was Fintan's son! **_


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: Thank you for all the comments and questions. I had a bit of a mental blackout coz I thought I'd replied to people and in the end I hadn't! I did quickly rectify that to some people tho. For the questions about people finding out about Eric and Sookie - all in due time. As for the depth of their feelings for each other - again, in due time! This is an E/S story for sure, so obviously I'm going for the love story in the end. But if it helps any, for you to understand where their relationship is at innitially, when I thought about them when I started this I had the Depeche Mode song "In Your Room" in mind. You can check the music video on my blog if you want. Thank you all for the continuous support!**

* * *

**34.**

September 15, 2013

Deputy Kenya Jones stood patiently and watched as the Sheriff, Bud Dearborn, came in through the Station like an errant tornado and into his office, where she waited for him with a pile of official documents. He'd come in with his personalized coffee mug, crafted by one of his grandsons, depicting a star and a cowboy hat – it was a hideous brown and yellow thing with a crack on the rim that the Sheriff insisted on drinking from.

He wore a put off scowl as he talked at her, not really giving her a chance to say anything back – complaining about how it was absurd to make him come in early on a fishing Sunday.

He finally sat down to go through the papers, even as he huffed unhappily about having to do it.

"Why are we bringing Calvin Norris for questioning on that April raid in Hotshot? Jason Stackhouse was arrested at the scene and later confessed, he's in prison!"

"The case has been reopened," Kenya Jones said neutrally.

Bud Dearborn made an unhappy sound as he tossed the papers down so that they skidded across the desk, and they would have slipped to the floor if Kenya hadn't dashed forth to retrieve them. Bud Dearborn told whoever would listen the day he arrested Jason Stackhouse, that it had been the happiest day of his life. His dislike for the young man was well-known due to his popularity and impromptu parties that warranted more than a midnight call from concerned parents.

"You know the game, Sheriff," Kenya Jones joked. "Money and lawyers get bad people out of jail, and now Stackhouse has both."

Bud Dearborn grunted again. "And what's this Archive Reopening Request?"

"Just some procedural public record thing, I guess…" Kenya shrugged. "Straight from Sophie-Anne Leclerq's office."

Bud Dearborn grunted, signing the release order without reading it. "Politics…" he muttered.

"Thanks Bud…"

Kenya grabbed her papers and walked out of the room while the Sheriff muttered something about a lost Sunday and bureaucracy. She went outside the reception area and found Jake Purifoy by the water cooler.

"Now, how did I know you were going to be here?" she raised an eyebrow.

Jake Purifoy, who had been staring at the bulletin board, looked down at her with a smile. "Because obviously, you received my request as a matter of urgency."

"Friends with Judge Leclerq?"

"Friend of a friend…" Jake clarified, extending his hand.

"Oh, no buddy it's not that easy. I'll have to go with you and sign it."

"But then I'll have the file?"

"Then, you'll have the file…" Kenya eyed him suspiciously. "What's with that file anyway? Does it have something to do with this lawyer trying to free Jason Stackhouse?"

"I couldn't say."

Kenya rolled he eyes. "Y'all lucky you have friends in high places..."

* * *

When Chow's car pulled up into the old farmhouse's driveway, Sookie stared ahead through the window with the weirdest lump in her throat and a tightness in her chest.

"Are you okay, Sook?" Tara asked her almost immediately from the back seat.

Sookie nodded slowly, swallowing mechanically. "Yeah…"

She unbuckled herself and pushed her door open, stepping down on the new gravel while staring up at the renovated farmhouse. It looked so much better well cared for than it had when she lived in it. Her eyes watered involuntarily and her nose twitched as she thought of what her Gran would say. But at the sound of Tara's door banging closed behind her, she blinked her eyes to stop herself from crying and rubbed her twitchy nose impatiently.

"Wow… it looks amazing…" Tara whistled as she stood next to her. "How much do you think they spent on renovations?"

"I don't know…" Sookie said, trying to keep her voice neutral.

She started walking towards it, with Tara behind her, when they heard another car in the distance. Sookie stopped and looked over her shoulder, in time to see a baby-blue Chevy turning around the corner between the trees and riding up the hill slowly.

"That will be the housekeeper," Chow said from beside his car.

Sookie nodded and sighed, turning fully around to go back. The car stopped just a little to the left of Chow's, and further behind. A young woman with black hair and a high pony tail hopped out of the car, wearing a white and navy blue uniform – her breast pocket carried the _Homely Care_ logo – she had heard of them before. They employed many people and provided housekeeping services for the entire parish. She had briefly considered applying with them for work – it would mean either getting a pretty permanent job, cleaning someone's house or some pace of business, or getting little jobs here and there. But in the end, she decided the only toilet she'd ever clean would be her own.

"Hey, are you Sookie Stackhouse?" the young woman asked as she jaunted up to them.

"Yes, I am, you must be Sadie."

"Yep. Mrs. Clearwater told me you can take anything from the attic that belongs to you. But you see why I'd be concerned with objects disappearing while I'm responsible, so I ask that whatever you take you write down this piece of paper for me," she said as she handed her a little notepad with a pen.

"Sure, that's not a problem."

"Ok," Sadie smile, and then she produced the keys. "Well, let's get to it."

Going into her former home was perhaps more emotional than she had been prepared for. It wasn't how everything looked the same that got to her. It was how everything looked different. It was someone else's home now, and the house looked like them, not like her Gran or her Mom and Dad.

Sookie didn't linger anywhere and went straight to the attic for which there was a separate key. Sadie opened it up or them and stayed back as Sookie and Tara went looking. Chow stood by the door with the house keeper.

Sookie was surprised the Clearwaters hadn't gotten rid of everything. There was new clutter there that obviously belong to them – but all of the stuff they'd left behind was definitely still there. She went around silently, picking through things, and objects, knowing she was supposed to be looking for letters but at the same unable to keep herself from picking up random things and just feeling them in her hands.

"Oh, Sook, look!" Tara laughed.

Sookie looked over where shoulder, where she stood in front of an old desk where her grandmother kept her old sewing machine, to see Tara crouching by the window, and removing a plastic cover, revealing the pink and yellow wooden doll house underneath. Her friend grinned at her.

"I can't believe this thing still exists…"

Sookie walked over to kneel next to her friend. "I couldn't bring myself to throw it away… If we hadn't left it here I would have told Hadley to take it with her when she moved…" she sighed.

"Because it was half-hers?" Tara giggled.

"Yeah…" Sookie smiled, touching the sturdy wooden house's pink roof.

Her father and her Aunt Linda had built the doll house themselves. Corbett did the wood work, and Linda painted it – so it was both hers and Hadley's, and the rule was that they could only play with it when they were together – even if it stayed in her house.

"Well you could take it now, if you want!" Tara shrugged. "Bev's being really great about it."

"Yeah, she is but… that's not why I'm here…" Sookie reminded herself standing up with a sigh. "Let's find these letters."

But they didn't. They went through everything – it took them two hours, and they coughed up a lot of dust, but there were no letters. Frustrated, Sookie gave up. Sadie asked her if she was taking anything, and she told her she'd talk to Bev when she returned from her trip about that – Sadie had looked very relieved. It just didn't feel right to take things out of the house when they were technically not hers anymore. If she'd found the letters, she'd have taken them, but only the letters.

"Well that was a waste of time…" Sookie said when they were back in the car. "Plus I smell like a mausoleum…" she patted her dusty clothes and hair. "Oh, sorry Chow… your car…"

"It's fine," he chuckled. "I'll vacuum later… I'm sorry we didn't find anything…" he said sympathetically.

* * *

After what felt like a day wasted, Sookie turned in early after a shower and a modest dinner of white cheese and toast. Nothing on TV could keep her attention, so she went to bed and tried to read one of her school textbooks. But it soon became clear nothing could keep her attention, and sleep wouldn't come either, so she got up, put some clothes on and simply walked out onto the street, not bothering to pick up her phone when it started buzzing in her shorts' pocket. She walked across the street and down the corner to slip inside the Lodging, where Liam looked up from the book he was reading inside his partition with his feet up on the desk.

"Hi Liam…" she said in passing.

"Hi…" he replied after a beat, turning in his chair to follow her progression down the corridor.

She climbed up the steps in twos and her phone kept vibrating in her pocket, but when she was mere inches away from the door, Eric opened it, still holding his phone in his hand.

"Why didn't you pick up the phone?" he asked her as he put it away.

"Because I was coming here anyway," Sookie rolled her eyes.

Eric stepped aside and Sookie just marched past him, turning right and flopping down on the little couch. She frowned a little staring into the dimly lit room. There were at least two other cell phones on the little desk, and the laptop screen seemed to be showing a webpage on maps. Eric closed the door and moved to take the swivel chair in the middle of the room. He turned to her curiously, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.

"What's up?" he prodded her while she dropped her eyes between them.

"I've been thinking, about those letters. _If_ they still exist I might have an idea where they could be." She rolled her eyes back to his. "Eric what do you think these letters are about? If this was the man who shot my Dad on a hunting accident, then maybe they just became friends, maybe they just bonded over a traumatic experience for them both."

"Did your father ever talk about writing to this man? Did he ever talked about having him as a friend?" Eric questioned.

Sookie sighed. "No."

"Why wouldn't he talk about this man as a friend if he'd become one?" Eric mused.

"I don't know."

"Where do you think these letters could be, Sookie?"

"What if the man dying that exact week was a coincidence?"

"Sookie, someone paid Mack Rattray to look for these letters, they exist. They probably incriminate more than just Stan Davis, because if Stan Davis himself was the problem, it wouldn't matter now because he is dead. Someone is desperate to destroy a trail. Someone had the gall to kill him in the way he failed to kill your father – it was an insult on top of it being an execution."

"I think my Aunt Linda could have the letters…" Sookie blurted. "After my Mom died, she asked Gran if she could keep some stuff of my Dad's to remember him by. I know she had like… old school books, photographs… maybe she has his letters too."

Eric narrowed his eyes. "Why would she take these letters and never say anything about them? If their content is so dangerous, and she'd read them, wouldn't she speak up?"

Sookie swallowed. "Yeah that's the part of my theory I don't like." She dropped her eyes to her lap and tried not to fidget.

She was living in this world now where it seemed like everyone was lying to her, or hiding things from her, she didn't like that world. She didn't like that the more she learned the more she realized she couldn't just sit around and pretend things were simple and easy anymore.

Large hands suddenly surged and engulfed her smaller ones. Sookie closed her eyes and swallowed, the sound of the wheels on the chair rolling as Eric brought himself closer, the only thing she heard besides her own paced breathing. He squeezed her hands and she looked up at him, doing her best to look tough.

"Just tell me how you want to do it."

Sookie blinked, surprised. "OK…" her eyes roamed his face, looking for signs he was just yanking her chain but he kept looking back at her honestly. "_I_ want to go," she said. "It's my family, I'll ask the questions." Eric nodded. "Are you coming with me?"

"Of course I am."

Sookie nodded. "I'd like it to be you."

"I'll be there."

"I also want to be the one to talk to Niall about this."

"Very well."

"You're very accommodating," she told him suspiciously.

"I work for you."

"You work for Niall."

"I work for you both."

Sookie sighed. "I want to go as soon as possible."

"Even if it means missing work?"

Sookie shrugged. "I'm sure they'll be glad to get me out of circulation for a while. Otherwise, they'll jut fire me. Then maybe I'll move in with Pam and Amelia until I get a job since she's so keen on me doing everything Niall wants me to do!" she added jokingly.

Eric smirked. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind helping you with that."

Sookie rolled her eyes. "I'm not moving to Shreveport."

"You should, you'd like it better."

"I want to focus on finding out what the hell's happened in my past first…" Sookie changed the subject.

"Fair enough."

They fell silent, both dropping their eyes, their hands still entwined, their knees brushing. Sookie leaned forward first, touching his face and brushing his lips with hers tentatively. She never knew when this was alright – they had a strange relationship at best. They never spoke of the boundaries like they planned to – it just seemed to be their unspoken agreement whenever they were alone there were no boundaries. She hoped that was still true, because she really wanted to feel good right now.

Eric kissed her back, quickly dissolving any doubts she had about where they stood in their strange little agreement. His fingers went into her hair, tugging her head back, and he was nibbling and sucking on her lips feverishly, making her feel like she wasn't the only one with the urges in the room. He was a really, really good kisser, even his sloppy kisses were good, or perhaps they were both just a pair of sloppy kissers and hair pullers.

Sookie clambered onto her knees on the little couch before she moved to climb onto his lap, straddling him on the swiveling chair that went naturally rolling backwards as they adjusted themselves. She looked down into his face, the hungry look in his eyes inflating her in a way that made all of today's bad discoveries unimportant. She traced his jaw with her fingers, watching as he breathed through his parted lips, his dark blues settling on her lips. She wondered if she would ever stop wanting to climb him whenever they were alone – and sometimes when they had company too…

"What are you doing?" he questioned in his husky voice, his eyes still trained on her mouth as his large hands brushed her sides up and down, making her skin sizzle, and parts of her throb and moisten.

"Admiring you…" she breathed, her eyes flitting all over his handsome face. "I just want to commit this to memory for the darkest times…" she smirked.

His eyes flitted back into hers, becoming serious, his hands halting its exploratory movements to settle on her hips. "Maybe it will only get better from here on…" he said.

Sookie snorted, her lips quirking in a way that seemed to draw his eyes back to them again. "Maybe…" she agreed, just so he wouldn't get preachy on her.

Her eyes glazed over as she decided to push all nagging thoughts to the back of her mind and she kissed him again, letting him engulf her in his arms and warm her in ways only Eric knew how. It could be that out of this whole mess the thing she could be grateful for was Eric Northman – and if this was a temporary respite, she'd take him, she'd take all of him that she could.


End file.
